Improving Integration and Academic Success in Veterans Attending College

最近在伊拉克的军事行动（伊拉克自由行动; OIF;新黎明行动; OND）和 阿富汗（持久自由行动，OEF）是最持久的地面作战行动。 从越南时代开始。后9/11 GI法案为退伍军人提供了有时限的财政支持， 高等教育是经济和职业成功的关键。自2008年以来，80多万人返回 持久自由（OEF）、伊拉克自由（OIF）和新黎明行动（OND）（OIF/OEF/OND）退伍军人 已经使用了这些福利，花费了退伍军人事务部超过190亿美元。然而， 在学校环境中可能面临独特的挑战，导致保留率低于传统的 学生因此，本项目的目标是调整和完善过渡复原力课程， 旨在教育，建议和指导学生退伍军人走向成功的大学生涯。完成 为此，我们将收集退伍军人学生关于真理与和解委员会设计和实施程序的定性数据。这 将由焦点小组（n = 20）与学生退伍军人和形成一个咨询委员会（AB）完成， 大学和社区持有人。然后，TRC将与学生退伍军人（n=10）进行试点， 并进行了初步试验 我们将招募 退伍军人学生， 参加TRC（n=25）或不参加TRC（非TRC; n=25）。这次审判将允许 研究真相与和解委员会的可行性和可接受性。此外，评估广泛的领域， 在4个月和8个月的后续评估期间， 对保留，整合和学术成功的影响。探索性分析将检查 TRC和非TRC学生退伍军人的融合，保留和学术成功（例如，物质使用， 心理障碍、社会或家庭困扰、上课出勤率）。这项研究的结果将具有广泛的- 对OEF/OIF/OND学生退伍军人的保留，融合和学术成功的影响， 最终为他们提供更高的生活质量。

Recent military operations in Iraq (Operation Iraqi Freedom; OIF; Operation New Dawn; OND) and Afghanistan (Operation Enduring Freedom; OEF) represent the most sustained ground combat operations since the Vietnam era. The Post-9/11 GI bill provides time-limited financial support for veterans to pursue higher education, a key to financial and vocational success. Since 2008, over 800,000 returning Operations Enduring Freedom (OEF), Iraqi Freedom (OIF), and Operation New Dawn (OND) (OIF/OEF/OND) Veterans have used these benefits, costing the Veterans Affairs Department over $19 billion. However, student veterans may face unique challenges in the school environment, leading to lower retention rates than for traditional students. Therefore, the goal of this project is to adapt and refine the Transitional Resiliency Course (TRC), designed to educate, advise, and guide student veterans towards a successful college career. To accomplish this, we will collect qualitative data on student veterans on design and implementation procedures of TRC. This will be accomplished by focus groups (n = 20) with student veterans and by forming an advisory board (AB) of university and community stake-holders. The TRC will then be piloted with student veterans (n=10), refined and adapted, and them implemented in a preliminary trial in which we will recruit both student veterans who participate in the TRC (n=25) or do not choose to participate in the TRC (non-TRC; n=25). This trial will permit the examination of the feasibility and acceptability of the TRC. Furthermore, assessing a wide range of areas of functioning during 4- and 8 month follow-up assessments will provide preliminary evidence of the TRC's impact on retention, integration and academic success. Exploratory analyses will examine correlates of integration, retention, and academic success in both TRC and non-TRC student veterans (e.g., substance use, psychological disorders, social or family distress, class attendance). Findings from this study will have wide- ranging implications for the retention, integration, and academic success of OEF/OIF/OND student veterans, ultimately for providing them with a higher quality of life.