Mental Health and Help-Seeking of Returning Veterans in Rural Community Colleges

描述（由申请人提供）：大约五分之一的从阿富汗持久自由行动和伊拉克自由行动（OEF/OIF）返回的士兵报告的症状和行为与创伤后应激障碍或抑郁症一致。将这些有精神健康问题的OEF/OIF退伍军人与护理联系起来，以促进他们成功地重新融入富有成效的平民生活，这一点至关重要。OEF/OIF退伍军人中有很大一部分利用GI教育福利就读两年制社区大学。社区大学的环境提供了一个独特的机会来调查和解决我们退伍军人中最重要的公共卫生问题之一；然而，大学和我们的社会要抓住这个机会，首先必须有一个坚实的研究证据基础。拟议的研究是充分实现这一机会的第一步。在设计一项干预措施，将社区大学的退伍军人学生与适当的服务联系起来之前，对他们的心理健康需求和寻求帮助的行为有更好的了解是至关重要的，而目前对这些需求几乎一无所知。为了了解退伍军人学生是否需要一种独特的干预，研究人员旨在了解他们与普通社区大学生的不同之处。这些初步的分析是需要的，然后再进行新的筛查和联动干预，这在社区大学环境中是可行的，并为退伍军人及其家庭所接受。使用阿肯色州8所公立社区学院的样本（N= 1000，包括500名退伍军人），研究人员将进行一项基于网络的调查，收集和分析数据，以解决以下具体目标：1)估计退伍军人学生群体中抑郁症、创伤后应激障碍、创伤性脑损伤、药物滥用和自杀念头的患病率，并将其与社区大学更广泛的学生群体进行比较。2)估计退伍军人学生群体中寻求帮助的普遍程度，并将其与社区大学更广泛的学生群体进行比较。3)确定退伍军人学生寻求帮助的最突出障碍。研究人员议程的长期目标是为在这些服务不足的社区大学就读的OEF/OIF退伍军人制定筛查和联动干预措施。将有心理健康问题的退伍军人学生与高质量的护理联系起来，对于他们在新的《退伍军人权利法案》上的教育成功以及他们成功地重新融入平民生活至关重要。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Approximately 1 out of 5 soldiers returning from Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan and Operation Iraqi Freedom (OEF/OIF) reported symptoms and behaviors consistent with PTSD or depression. It is critical to link these OEF/OIF veterans with mental health problems to care in order to promote successful re- integration into a productive, civilian life. A large percentage of OEF/OIF veterans are using GI educational benefits to attend two-year community colleges. The community college setting offers a unique opportunity to both investigate and address one of the most significant public health problems among our returning veterans; however, a robust base of research evidence is first necessary for colleges and our society more generally to seize this opportunity. The proposed study is a first step toward fully realizing this opportunity. Before designing an intervention to link student veterans in community colleges with appropriate services, it is critical to develop an improved understanding of their mental health needs and help-seeking behaviors, about which virtually nothing is currently known. To know if a unique intervention is needed for student veterans, the researchers aim to understand how they differ from the general population of community college students. These initial analyses are required before moving forward with the development of a new screening and linkage intervention that will be both feasible in the community college setting and acceptable to this student veteran population and their families. Using a sample from 8 public community colleges in Arkansas (N=1,000, including 500 veterans), the researchers will field a web-based survey to collect and analyze data to address the following specific aims: 1) Estimate the prevalence of depression, PTSD, TBI, substance misuse, and suicidal ideation among the student veteran population and compare it to the broader student population of community colleges. 2) Estimate the prevalence of help-seeking among the student veteran population and compare it to the broader student population of community colleges. 3) Identify the most salient barriers to help-seeking among student veterans. The long term goal of the researchers' agenda is to develop a screening and linkage intervention for OEF/OIF veterans attending these underserved community colleges. Linking student veterans with mental health problems to quality care is critical to their educational success on the new GI bill and their successful re- integration into civilian life. PUBLIC HEALTH RELEVANCE: It is critical to link returning OEF/OIF veterans with mental health problems to care in order to promote successful re-integration into a productive, civilian life. Many of these veterans are attending community colleges using the newly enhanced GI Bill benefits; therefore, this educational setting offers a unique opportunity to both investigate and address one of the most significant public health problems among our returning veterans. However, a robust base of research evidence is first necessary for colleges and our society more generally to seize this opportunity-the proposed research is the initial step toward achieving this goal.