Occupational Therapy for Servicemember and Veteran Recovery, Resilience, and Reintegration: Opportunities for Societal Contribution and Professional Transformation

Abstract

The topics presented in this special issue underscore the critical needs of servicemembers and veterans and the potential benefits from occupational therapy assessment, intervention, and research.

Psychosocial Characteristics of Student Veterans with Service-Related Disabilities: Implications for Further Research and Occupational Therapy Involvement

“…Calls for advocacy to increase the presence of occupational therapists in support of military veterans' transition to civilian life have been made by several influential authors in the field (Amaker, Woods, & Gerardi, 2009;Radomski & Brininger, 2014;Tomar & Stoffel, 2014).…”

How Service Dogs Enhance Veterans’ Occupational Performance in the Home: A Qualitative Perspective

“…The veterans were assigned a number between 1 and 6, and their service dogs were identified as service dog. The graduate assistants used QDA Miner 4 Lite qualitative data analysis software to code each transcript (Provalis Research, 2014).…”

“…The co-occurrence of PTSD and TBI can have overlapping physical, cognitive, and psychological symptoms (Bryant, 2011;Miles, Graham, & Teng, 2015;Speicher, Walter, & Chard, 2014;Spencer, Drag, Walker, & Bieliauskas, 2010). These cognitive, psychological, and behavioral impairments can affect reintegration into civilian roles and participation in occupations (Hwang, Peyton, Kim, Nakama-Sato, & Noble, 2014;Radomski & Brininger, 2014;Speicher et al, 2014). These studies stated that concerns can include driving in the community; resuming household, family, work, and leisure roles; self-management of stress and pain; and establishing healthy routines.…”

An Exploration of Transition Experiences Shaping Student Veteran Life Flow

“…Serving on combat deployments has numerous emotional consequences that can manifest in pathological problems that disrupt occupational engagement (Plach & Sells, 2013;Radomski & Brininger, 2014;Tomar & Stoffel, 2014). Examination of the transition experiences of veterans can illuminate underlying strengths needed to facilitate health and wellbeing.…”

“… Occupational therapists evaluating veteran work performance should assess mental health outcomes and devise programs that sustain employability.  Outcome research is needed in the areas of recovery, resilience, and community reintegration for veterans in transition (Radomski & Brininger, 2014).…”