Doctor of Philosophy, Case Western Reserve University, 2025, Nursing

Purpose: Veterans hold a set of health care expectations specifically related to cultural values derived from their military service. Although veterans expect veteran culture—specifically veteran identity and the five veteran core values of honor, duty, courage, respect, and trust—to be an integral part of their health experience, health professionals are not educated on these concepts. Health professionals' knowledge and integration of veteran culture is essential because veteran identity and veteran core values guide veteran perceptions and health decisions that can lead to optimal health. The purpose of the study was to describe the five veteran core values in a health context. Methods: A qualitative design was used to explore veterans' (N = 21) experiences with the five veteran core values in a healthcare context. Qualitative data were analyzed using a deductive and inductive approach analysis and were validated by two content experts. Results: Veterans expect VA primary care providers to deliver values-based health care. Violations of the veteran core values were interpreted as disrespect or trust issues. Conclusion: The study confirmed earlier studies regarding the impact of veteran identity and expanded knowledge about the five veteran core on the veteran health experience. Knowledge gleaned from the study is an important first step to advance the limited body of evidence about veteran identity and the veteran core values of honor, duty, courage, respect, and trust that may confirm or contribute to health professionals' knowledge of the importance of culturally competent care for veterans in all healthcare settings. Future research will expand the reach of VA provider cultural competence to ensure that veteran health care reflects the veterans' value system. Implementing culturally competent care is showing appreciation for our national heroes and sincerely thanking them for their service.

Committee: Dr. Mary Dolansky, PhD, RN, FAAN (Committee Chair); Dr. Sherry Ball, PhD (Committee Member); Dr. Christopher Burant, PhD (Committee Member); Dr. Jaclene Zauszniewski, PhD, RN-BC, FAAN (Committee Member) Subjects: Health Care; Military Studies; Nursing

Doctor of Philosophy, The Ohio State University, 2022, EDU Physical Activity and Educational Services

Abstract Over the years, the Servicemen's Readjustment Act (1944) and subsequent funding legislation has enabled vast numbers of American military service members and veterans to attend colleges and universities (Osborne, 2014). For institutions that experienced declines in traditional age students due to changing demographics, Post 9/11 veterans are an attractive enrollment target because of guaranteed government funding. Veterans are particularly appealing to private, online institutions as a viable revenue stream. We know that student veterans share many of the same attributes of nontraditional students (Navarre Cleary, M., & Wozniak, K., 2013) but often do not perform as well as their nonveteran counterparts in the areas of academic performance, retention and in bachelor's degree completion (Cate, Lyon, Schmeling, & Bogue, 2017; Durdella & Kim, 2012). While the amount of research into veteran transitions has increased in the past 10 years, previous studies have often focused on the provision of veteran services or on the mental and physical health issues of combat veterans. Little has been revealed about the lived college experience of Post 9/11 veterans and the difficulties they encounter. Although it has been established that student veterans tend to default to avoidance coping strategies (Romero, Riggs, & Ruggero, 2015), data about the effectiveness of their coping choices and the repercussions on their persistence in college is lacking. More research on veteran college transitions is needed, so this study seeks to address a critical gap in the literature. The purpose of this phenomenological study is to examine the lived experiences, academic challenges, and the coping strategies of Post 9/11 student veterans at a large, Midwestern university.

Committee: Edward Fletcher (Advisor) Subjects: Adult Education; Educational Psychology; Higher Education; Military Studies

PhD, University of Cincinnati, 2021, Education, Criminal Justice, and Human Services: Educational Studies

This dissertation explores the reintegration of military Veterans into the civilian population and factors that influence their return through higher education after the 2008 changes to the Post-9/11 G.I. Bill. Student Veterans bring to campus nontraditional student characteristics plus Veteran culture that include unique strengths and challenges of military service. Adult transition theory frames many of the student Veteran studies that identify specific support requirements stemming from military Service experiences. This study uses a modified version of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs culturally informed Military to Civilian Questionnaire to examine the utility of using the measure with the student Veteran demographic. The questionnaire results were used to identify a sub-demographic purposeful sample of student Veterans to interview and to shape semi-structured interview questions to further explore their reintegration experiences. Veteran Critical Theory serves to frame themes of the student Veteran reintegration experiences. This five-chapter mixed methods dissertation includes three manuscripts that characterize student Veteran research, examine the military to civilian questionnaire to use with this sub-demographic of Veterans, and explore participants experiences using Veteran critical theory to identify institutional factors. The overarching research questions that guided this work included: What student Veteran experiences identified after full-time military service, influenced reintegration from military service into the civilian population through higher education? What insight can a culturally sensitive reintegration measure give support services about the student Veteran subpopulation within higher education? And what meta-inferences do reintegration questionnaire results and student Veterans experiences characterized by Veteran critical theory suggest? Future research suggestions include expanding the scale of research to examine using the mi (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Christopher Atchison Ph.D. (Committee Chair); Stacie Furst-Holloway Ph.D. (Committee Member); Everrett Smith Ph.D. (Committee Member) Subjects: School Administration

Doctor of Education, University of Akron, 2018, Educational Leadership

Veterans are enrolling in higher education in increasing numbers. Many institutions are positioning themselves to receive these students by providing support services and personnel. Despite these efforts, the success rates of this student population have been called into question, and they report poor goodness of fit within the classroom. Professional development initiatives which specifically explore the needs of student veterans within the classroom environment have been limited, or not readily accessible to faculty. This study took place at a community college in the Midwest United States. The purpose of this qualitative study was to invite feedback from both student veterans and faculty who are veterans by asking them to provide context for, and direct input into, a proposed faculty professional development product. An interpretivist epistemology was used so as to capture the social reality of these stakeholders. This feedback served to validate and enhance critical content for three online training modules entitled The VET RESPECT CHECK. Each word within The VET RESPECT CHECK is an acronym for the content of three topic areas: first module: the veteran as student; second module: the classroom environment; and third module: resources. The development of these three modules was guided by Lawler and King's Adult Learning Model for Faculty Development, as well as Allen's CCAF best practice model for online learning. Both groups independently voted and agreed that content regarding the physical, emotional, and behavioral environment was the most important information for faculty to understand. Despite the fact that the topic of suicide was not directly brought forth within the program outline, both groups expressed clear concerns for the safety of veteran students. Furthermore, these groups believe that there is a need for faculty to be sensitive to the issue of veteran suicide and understand their role in facilitating access to resources.

Committee: Renee Mudrey-Camino Ph.D. (Committee Chair); Gary Holliday Ph.D. (Committee Member); Robert C. Schwartz Ph.D. (Committee Member); Nasser Razek Ed.D. (Committee Member); Wondimu Ahmed Ph.D. (Committee Member) Subjects: Educational Leadership

MFA, Kent State University, 2015, College of the Arts / School of Art

Suddenly I Didn't Want to Die is a visual documentation of an individual experiencing war. The body of work contains four sculptures, thematically connected that investigate the artist's perspective from his involvement in the war in Iraq. Excerpts from his personal journal begin the thesis and help establish the psychological mindset he was in during the war and shortly after. Deibel explores his experiences through 3-Dimensional forms that help to visually explain personal struggle. The sculptures presented represent a timeline of events supporting each other's cathartic references through visual cues. The works are all connected through one man's experience but reach a broad audience through accessible, recognizable forms.

Committee: Isabel Farnsworth (Advisor); Paul O'keeffe (Committee Chair); Navjotika Kumar (Committee Member); Gustav Medicus (Committee Member) Subjects: Armed Forces; Art Criticism; Art History; Fine Arts

MFA, Kent State University, 2008, College of the Arts / School of Art

Inner Dialogue is the result of twenty-four consecutive days of painting, each day producing a different painting. The primary unifying elements are the scale of the paintings (29.5 inches x35.5 inches – vertically oriented), wet into wet painting technique using a single color as the base for each day, and the time frame. The primary elements that distinguished the paintings one from another was that I chose a different color, subject, style and approach each day. These elements were chosen in a self-consciously arbitrary fashion using the first thought that came to mind at the beginning of the day. The purpose of this was to visually manifest the underlying thought processes separate from the more apparent concerns of style and content in order to comprehend the essential elements of my personal style and motivations as a painter. The twenty-four painting were hung together in a grid format. The elements of style that stand out as consistent are an emphasis on the fluidity of paint, an overall tonality that ranges around the middle of the gray scale, and the use of an abundance of contrasting elements. I concluded that pleasure is my primary motivation, with painting's purpose being to fill the space between cradle and grave of an essentially meaningless existence.

Committee: Craig Lucas (Advisor); Martin Ball (Committee Member); Isabel Farnsworth (Committee Member); Diane Scillia (Committee Member); Doug Unger (Committee Member) Subjects: Fine Arts

DNP, Otterbein University, 2026, Nursing

Emergence agitation (EA) is a post-anesthetic complication that occurs when the patient is in a self-limited, nonfluctuating state of excitement while transitioning into a state of consciousness. EA can lead to negative adverse outcomes including, accidental invasive line removal, bleeding, respiratory depression, unintentional extubation, and injury to the staff and the patient. EA is often observed in military veterans who have a medical history of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). For patients with a history of military exposure undergoing elective general anesthesia who also have PTSD, anxiety, and or depression, the incidence of EA was estimated to be around 27%. The pathophysiology of EA is unknown; however, a collection of risk factors has been associated with a higher incidence of EA. These risk factors include pre-operative anxiety, history of pre-existing mental disorders like PTSD, use of volatile agents with low solubility, age, sex, invasive lines and tubes, and the use of premedications like benzodiazepines and anticholinergics. There are currently no evidence-based guidelines or policies in place to properly manage and prevent the incidence of EA in military veterans with a history of PTSD scheduled for general anesthesia. Dexmedetomidine is an alpha-2 adrenoceptor agonist that produces sedation that resembles a patient's natural sleep without causing respiratory depression and allowing for patient arousal. The combination of high-risk identifying assessment tools including the DSM-5, the Richmond Agitation Sedation Scale (RASS), and the utilization of Dexmedetomidine in the peri-operative setting has been proven to decrease the incidence of EA in patients with a history of PTSD.

Committee: Kirk Hummer (Advisor); Brian Garrett (Committee Member); Amy Bishop (Committee Member) Subjects: Nursing

Master of Science, The Ohio State University, 2025, Psychology

Previous research has demonstrated that veterans often face challenges transitioning from the military to the civilian workplace, such as underemployment and a perceived lack of belonging in the workplace. Drawing from Construal Level Theory, we investigate the possibility that the military's rank-based hierarchical structure influences veterans' expectations about when to modulate their regulatory scope – the breadth and range of things one considers in decision-making. We suggest that military culture transforms veterans' expectations of expanding and contracting their scope from a within-person process to a between-person process through the chain-of-command, where higher-ranks often have expansive duties like strategic planning and lower-ranks have contractive duties like executing operations. Because this structure is less likely to exist in the civilian workplace, we suggest veterans may form rank-based expectations which influences their judgments and decision-making. We examine this over two experiments. In Experiment 1, we explore this question of whether people generally have rank-based expectations of scope through a person perception paradigm. We showcase the first evidence that people do associate rank with scope but surprisingly find that veterans and non-veterans maintain similar associations. Drawing from stereotype literature where activation not necessarily lead to application, we then explore in Experiments 2a and 2b (Experiment 2b was pre-registered) whether veterans and non-veterans differ in their judgments and decision-making towards organizations that are structured around rank-based expectations. We find that relative to non-veterans, veterans anticipate greater belonging, interest, and prefer to choose organizations that are structured around rank-based expectations of scope compared to other organizations. Thus, across two experiments, we not only demonstrate that people associate rank with scope, but that veterans and n (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Kentaro Fujita (Advisor); Mike DeKay (Committee Member); Duane Wegener (Committee Member) Subjects: Psychology

Doctor of Philosophy, The Ohio State University, 2024, Political Science

In three papers, this dissertation challenges the ideology of military service by developing a critical theory of the military with a focus on labor alienation, affective attachments to violence, and the potential of anti-war narratives and activism to disalienate soldiers and lead to more reciprocal relationalities with civilians and the world at large. I first theorize the different forms of affective attachments that soldiers develop to martial violence, explaining how those attachments are supported or disrupted by discourses of military service and martial labor. To supplement my account of affective attachments, I address and expands theories of alienation to contend with the question of martial labor alienation and the specificities of this phenomenon among soldiers. I then turn to the antiwar G.I. Movement to argue that martial disalienation requires centering the material and structural character of martial labor, which encourages relations of transnational solidarity and political responsibility. Thus, I offer an integrated account of how militarism and the notion of military service obscures both the role of the U.S. military in the world and the effects over the subjectivity of soldiers and their estrangement from communities at home and abroad.

Committee: Inés Valdez (Committee Co-Chair); Alexander Wendt (Committee Member); Benjamin McKean (Committee Co-Chair) Subjects: Political Science

Doctor of Healthcare Administration (D.H.A.), Franklin University, 2023, Health Programs

The dissertation explored the Lived Experiences In Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder Diagnosed Veterans Utilizing Telemedicine Treatment. The intended purpose of the research was to focus on the existing literature gap concerning the lived experiences of veterans who have been diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder/post-traumatic stress syndrome (PTSD/PTSS) and have utilized telemedicine treatment for their diagnosis while identifying means to improve the veteran experience with the modality. Veteran lived experiences should be taken into account in order to identify ways to aid veterans in improving their mental healthcare outcomes and treatment experiences. The research question and two sub-research questions were addressed in this study through a qualitative descriptive approach. The study utilized the Theory of Planned Behavior, patient satisfaction, and engagement as a guide. A sample of veterans who utilized telemedicine as a treatment modality for their PTSD/PTSS diagnosis participated in data collection. Data collection occurred through an open-ended and multiple choice survey that was administered through Microsoft Forms. The survey data provided in-depth responses concerning the lived experiences of PTSD/PTSS telemedicine treatment satisfaction and engagement in the veteran population of Kentucky. The collected data was subjected to verbatim transcription, coding via ATLAS.ti™ (v8) software, and major theme analysis. Insight gained from the study findings contributed to the body of knowledge by providing advice and guidance to the stakeholder population (i.e., veterans, healthcare professionals, governmental organizations) concerning the future utilization of the modality to treat PTSD/PTSS in the veteran population.

Committee: Gail Frankle (Committee Chair); Karen Lankisch (Committee Member); David McCurry (Committee Member) Subjects: Behavioral Psychology; Health Care; Health Care Management; Mental Health; Military Studies

Doctor of Philosophy, University of Toledo, 2023, Curriculum and Instruction

Though teacher attrition has always been an issue at the center of educational research, recent increased rates of turnover among veteran public education teachers before retirement suggests a new trend worth investigating. Prior research has shown connections between this trend and the increased focus on accountability mandates in the last two decades. The purpose of this study was to identify and explore changes within the human activity of teaching in the past twenty years for a group of veteran high school teachers, using the lens of cultural-historical activity theory (CHAT) to shed a more comprehensive light on possible factors related to teacher satisfaction and dissatisfaction with the profession. The study focused on two main research questions: (1) How has the lived experience of the human activity of teaching for this particular group of veteran public-school teachers changed in approximately the last twenty years? and (2) Among those interviewed, if the human activity of teaching has changed, in what ways have these changes impacted their satisfaction or dissatisfaction with the profession? The researcher used the six elements of Engestrom's second generation CHAT model (subject, object, rules, tools, division of labor, and community) to develop questions that were used in phone interview sessions with eight veteran high school teachers from three different school districts with over fifteen years of experience. The participants' responses indicated that satisfaction was primarily linked to changes in the activity of teaching when those changes were internally initiated and informed by the teacher based on their own intrinsic motivations, which were grounded in the experiences of the teacher and student, and the changes were supported, valued, and reinforced by the community. Dissatisfaction was noted when the changes were externally initiated and informed by someone other than the teacher based on extrinsic motivations, which were grounded in achie (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Mark Templin (Committee Chair) Subjects: Education History; Education Policy; Educational Tests and Measurements; Educational Theory; Secondary Education; Teaching

Doctor of Philosophy, The Ohio State University, 2023, History

This dissertation focuses on the development of the Lost Cause mythology in North Carolina between the 1880s to the 1920s. The Lost Cause is a racist and inaccurate view of the Civil War years promoted by Neo-Confederate Southerners. This dissertation argues that the Lost Cause developed primarily through the efforts of Neo-Confederate organizations like the United Daughters of the Confederacy. These individuals built a compound-public space that united grassroots movements with official governmental figures to promote the Lost Cause mythology. The formation of this compound-public space and its impact on the Lost Cause provided the necessary cultural support for the development of a Democratic-backed white supremacist campaign in North Carolina in 1898 conducted to reduce the political power of Republicans and African Americans, and to re-establish Democratic hegemony. This dissertation explores the ways in which Neo-Confederates constructed the compound-public space including: the role of politics, gender, religion, education, the media, and Confederate monuments with the express goal of increasing the political power of the Democratic Party.

Committee: Joan Cashin (Advisor); John Brooke (Advisor); Stephanie Shaw (Committee Member); Paula Baker (Committee Member) Subjects: American History; Black History; Education History; Gender; Gender Studies; History; Journalism; Mass Media; Modern History; Religion; Religious History; Teacher Education; Womens Studies

Master of Arts, Miami University, 2022, History

During the Vietnam Era (1960-1975), the United States underwent significant social change. While American troops were fighting alongside the South Vietnamese against Ho Chi Minh, his North Vietnamese troops, and their pursuit of spreading Communist ideology in Southeast Asia, the American government was also pursuing Communism and antigovernment activity stateside. The main target of the government's suspicion were the G.I. coffeehouses and underground presses utilized by G.I.s who were motivated by their experiences in conflict to join the antiwar movement. The coffeehouses and their associated newspapers sought to provide resources for G.I. and veteran support (legal and otherwise), coffee and other cafe provisions, and a safe space to connect with other G.I.s to discuss their antiwar sentiments, plan protest activity, and disperse their ideas to those outside the confines of their respective bases. Through thorough research and discussion of chosen coffeehouses and underground newspapers, it is clear that these places and resources provided safer outlets for antiwar sentiment, not antigovernment sentiment. The coffeehouses and newspapers instead mediated safe expression and freedom of speech rather than proposed ways to create an organized threat to the U.S. government and its military complex.

Committee: Steve Conn (Advisor); Andrew Offenburger (Committee Member); Amanda McVety (Committee Member) Subjects: American History; History; Military History; Military Studies; Political Science

Doctor of Philosophy, The Ohio State University, 2021, EDU Teaching and Learning

This study examines the big and small stories of faculty at a small, internationally-focused graduate school in New England during a time of change in higher education. A macro-micro perspective enables both an aerial view of faculty experience over time and a view of how faculty work with students at the ground level. The landscape of higher education has been shifting, a story which has drawn the interest of researchers looking at change at the institutional level. In the literature, and in the media, stories are told in broad strokes: the rise of the neoliberal university, the wave of campus internationalization, and an increasing reliance on a contingent faculty workforce. However, in spite of faculty's central position within these phenomena, stories of faculty experience during this era of change mostly remain untold. Narrative research has primarily focused on the professional development and situated learning of novice educators as they find their footing and balance a range of commitments. Considerably less attention has been given to veteran faculty whose stories are situated at the confluence of broader changes in higher education. This study addresses this gap and, in its synergy of big and small stories, contributes to the dynamic field of narrative research in educational contexts. Retrospective big stories told in life history interviews capture the life-span of faculty careers, from entering the field to experiencing challenges and change through working with diverse groups of students over several decades. Analysis of these stories produced two key metaphors which are the focus of Chapter 3. Through the use of bedrock stories, faculty preserve shared values and an institutional narrative in the face of change. In faultline stories, faculty make sense of unsettling or unresolved experiences. The findings suggest that these stories of critical events are important sources of institutional narratives and faculty learning. Compared to well-order (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Leslie C. Moore (Advisor); Alan Hirvela (Committee Member); Peter Sayer (Committee Member) Subjects: Education; English As A Second Language; Higher Education; Language; Teacher Education; Teaching

Doctor of Education (Ed.D.) in Leadership Studies, Xavier University, 2020, Leadership Studies and Human Resource Development

This mixed-methods study was designed to explore the relationship between self-assessed levels of grit and the qualitative factors veteran teachers report as contributing to their longevity in the role of classroom instructors. Forty-four (44) K-12 teachers from Southwestern Ohio, who had remained in the classroom for at least fifteen consecutive years, were recruited to complete the Duckworth (2016) 10-item Grit Scale and participate in individual, semi-structured interviews. Interview transcripts were analyzed to identify factors that might have contributed to their perseverance. These factors were organized into four themes and interpreted through the lens of middle- and high-grit. Two teachers who scored low in grit were excluded from the comparative analysis. The remaining forty-two participants were evenly split between medium and high levels of grit. Four emergent themes were explicated: Teaching as a Higher Calling, Teaching as the Only Option, Teaching as Community, and Teaching as Contextual Joy. Each theme reflected both the positive influence of factors attracting teachers to remain in the classroom, and the negative influence of factors these teachers remained in the field in spite of. Illustrative quotes reflecting the sentiments of the teachers interviewed are provided. Comparative analysis revealed similarities and differences between middle- and high-grit teachers on two of the four themes: Teaching as the Only Option and Teaching as Contextual Joy. The duality of these themes, reflecting both positive (because of) and negative (in spite of) influence were reflected in the interview transcripts of both middle and high-grit teachers. Results of this analysis of perseverance among veteran classroom teachers are interpreted as providing a foundation for future studies of teachers persevering in a demanding profession that has grown increasingly challenging over the years. The term “teacherverance” is proposed to capture the essence of this special case (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Gail F. Latta Ph.D. (Committee Co-Chair); Shirley Curtis Ed.D. (Committee Co-Chair); David Tobergte Ed.D. (Committee Member) Subjects: Education; Educational Leadership; Secondary Education; Teaching

Ph.D., Antioch University, 2020, Leadership and Change

This qualitative research study explored the influence of life experiences and personal ethics of George Ciampa, a United States military veteran; his work in establishing American military cemeteries in Europe; and later work as a community leader committed to teaching American youth about the cost of freedom. Dimensions of ethical leadership and public service motivation served as the theoretical framework for the study. The research extended knowledge on ethical constructs within the fields of leadership studies and public administration; recorded personal experiences that were absent in military historical archives; and increased awareness of aspects of the U.S. military subculture. The research exploration was guided by an overarching question of how Ciampa reflected on his sense of public service over his lifetime. The study employed narrative life story methodology and visual research methods. Data collection was an iterative process and included segmented life story interviews and historical archival research. Findings included identification of a major theme (liberty) and three supporting sub-themes (duty, honor, and country) influencing Ciampa's life and leadership path. A comparative analysis of the themes discovered with shared tenets of ethical leadership and public service motivation is provided. This dissertation is available in open access at AURA: Antioch University Repository and Archive, http://aura.antioch.edu/, and OhioLINK ETD Center, https://etd.ohiolink.edu/.

Committee: Philomena Essed Ph.D. (Committee Chair); Donna Ladkin Ph.D. (Committee Member); Natalie Underberg-Goode Ph.D. (Committee Member) Subjects: Military History

EdD, University of Cincinnati, 2019, Education, Criminal Justice, and Human Services: Counselor Education

Research shows that veterans, particularly of the conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan, have high levels of mental health needs while experiencing high barriers to care including cultural issues such as stigma towards seeking help and a cultural divide with civilians and civilian mental health providers. This study's purpose was to examine the influence of demographic factors and multicultural competence on counselor case conceptualization of a veteran client. One hundred thirty-three licensed mental health counselors completed a counselor case conceptualization Vignette and Counselor Perception Scale designed for this study, the Multicultural Counseling Knowledge and Awareness Scale (MCKAS), and a demographic questionnaire. Analysis included a series of t-tests, correlations, and regressions to assess (a) relationships between multicultural competence and demographic factors, (b) relationships between case conceptualization and demographic factors, and (c) the influence of multicultural competence and demographic factors on counselor case conceptualization. Results indicate that diversity experience and a military competence scale are positively correlated to multicultural knowledge. Military family members score significantly higher than those with civilian families on a military competence scale. These results indicate that exposure to veterans' cultural challenges and diversity experience contribute to multicultural knowledge and competence in conceptualizing a veteran client case vignette. Results are discussed within the framework of the multicultural counseling competence literature. Implications for increasing multicultural counseling competence with veteran clients through counseling practice and counselor education are discussed. Additionally, future research directions regarding counselor multicultural competence is discussed. These directions include assessing cultural competence using a contact theory lens, exploring if differences in value systems b (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Mei Tang Ph.D. (Committee Chair); Thomas Aicher Ph.D. (Committee Member); Michael Brubaker Ph.D. (Committee Member) Subjects: Counseling Psychology

Master of Arts (MA), Bowling Green State University, 2019, Psychology/Clinical

Disordered eating behaviors such as binge eating, restrained eating, and compensatory behaviors are becoming increasingly common among U.S. Military Personnel. Previous research suggests that there may be a number of variables related to eating disorder development in this population: symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), symptoms of body dysmorphic disorder (BDD), gender, military branch, and pre-military food insecurity. Although previous research has identified factors related to disordered eating in military personnel, this study sought to better understand the associations between each of these variables and the moderators of these associations as they influence the development of disordered eating behaviors in this population. A diverse sample of the military population was recruited using Amazon's Mechanical Turk (MTurk) to participate in an online survey, which included demographic measures, measures of psychopathological symptomatology (i.e., the Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder Checklist – Military and the Yale-Brown Obsessive Compulsive Scale modified for Body Dysmorphic Disorder), food insecurity (U.S. Household Food Security Survey Module: Six-Item Short Form), and disordered eating behavior (Eating Disorder Examination Questionnaire and the Binge Eating Scale). Researchers hypothesized that each of these variables would be related to disordered eating behavior and exacerbated by the presence of PTSD and BDD symptoms. In this sample, military personnel reported greater disordered eating symptoms than the civilian population. Findings indicated that symptoms of PTSD and BDD were significantly associated with disordered eating even when controlling for pre-military food insecurity and gender. Symptoms of PTSD moderated the associations between gender and disordered eating behavior, but BDD symptoms only moderated the association between gender and binge eating.

Committee: Abby Braden Ph.D. (Advisor); Josh Grubbs Ph.D. (Committee Member); Dara Musher-Eizenmann Ph.D. (Committee Member) Subjects: Psychology

Master of Fine Arts, The Ohio State University, 2018, Design

The purpose of this research has been to understand the experiences of veteran students entering into higher education at The Ohio State University for the first time after having served in the military, or, those that are returning to OSU after leaving the collegiate environment to serve in military operations as is often the case for Reserve and National Guard Service members. As part of the research methodology developed, co-design thinking has been utilized in the engagement of current veteran students in order to let them guide the identification of new services, or improvements that can be applied to existing ones, with the goal of improving the transition and integration experiences of current and future veteran students. Through personal experience, observations, and conversations had with veteran students, I noticed that many veterans tended to self-segregate away from their civilian counterparts in the collegiate environment. I hypothesized, then, that this self-segregation of the veteran student subculture, individually or collectively, hindered the sociocultural integration of veteran students into the greater civilian populace, and therefore had a potentially negative impact on their success in pursuing civilian careers after college. Additionally, while OSU's Office of Military and Veteran Services (OMVS) has been doing incredible things to help veteran students transition away from the military and into OSU, many of their practices tend to promote self-segregation rather than integration. Although it is not true across the entire population of veteran students, the research conducted showed that many sought opportunities for improved sociocultural integration programs. Opportunities lie in finding a balance between the subculture that veteran students share, and integration into the civilian culture they are now part of. Additionally, veteran students could benefit from additional support in regards to academics and logistics when navigating th (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Elizabeth Sanders Ph.D. (Committee Chair); Peter Chan Ph.D. (Committee Member); Michael Forrest (Committee Member) Subjects: Design

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD), Ohio University, 2018, Counselor Education (Education)

Mental Health services are underutilized by military members even when they are aware of a possible mental health disorder (Ben-Zeev, Corrigan, Britt, & Langford, 2012). The recent wars in Iraq and Afghanistan have significantly impacted the mental health of military personnel (Quartana et al., 2014). These wars have resulted in millions of deployments with over 800,000 military members having deployed multiple times (Zinzow, Britt, McFadden, Burnette, & Gillispie, 2012). Military members have significant fears related to stigma, confidentiality, and negative career impact when seeking mental health services (Christensen & Yaffe, 2012; Rowan & Campise, 2006). The following dissertation includes a literature review on the mental health concerns of military members and perceived barriers to care, as well as, a brief review of current strategies for decreasing barriers to mental health services. The aim of this quantitative study was to examine military members' perceived barriers to seeking mental health care. The study seeks to determine whether (a) there are gender differences in perceived barriers to seeking mental health services; (b) whether there are differences between deployed members' versus non-deployed members' perceived barriers to seeking mental health care; (c) to determine whether differences exist in military members' preferences for providers of mental health care; and (d) to determine if prior engagement in mental health care treatment reduces stigma. In order to investigate military members' perceived barriers to seeking mental health care within the military population, the current study administered the Military Stigma Scale (MSS) and the General Help Seeking Questionnaire-adaptation (GHSQ-a) to members of the Kansas Air National Guard at the 184th Intelligence Wing (IW) located at McConnell Air Force Base (AFB) in Wichita, Kansas. The military members were asked demographic questions about themselves, followed by two scales which assessed their a (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Mona Robinson (Advisor) Subjects: Counseling Education; Mental Health; Military Studies