Perceived family impact of volunteering among reintegrating post-9/11 Veterans. Issue 4 (20th October 2018)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Lawrence, Karen A.; Matthieu, Monica M.
• Is Part Of: Journal of family social work. Volume 21:Issue 4/5(2018)
• Page Start: 271
• Page End: 293
• Publication Date: 2018-10-20
• Subjects: Brain injury -- depression -- health -- mental health -- Operation Enduring Freedom -- Operation Iraqi Freedom -- post-traumatic -- reintegration -- stress disorders -- Veterans -- volunteer; Family social work -- Periodicals; Family social work -- United States -- Periodicals; 362.82097305
• DOI: 10.1080/10522158.2017.1408513
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 1052-2158

Abstract

ABSTRACT: Family issues are common among returned post-9/11 Veterans. Traumatic brain injury (TBI), post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and depression are each independently related to divorce whereas community ties and social support are protective factors for the family during reintegration. Evidence from elders on the benefits of one intervention, community volunteering, may indicate "spillover effects" of these benefits into the family. Few measures exist to assess the impact of military Veteran volunteering on the family. The authors report (1) an adaption of a benefits measure from elders to Veterans, (2) its preliminary reliability and validity, and (3) differences among subgroups. Reintegrating post-9/11 Veterans ( N = 346) who completed a 6-month, stipended volunteer program were surveyed. Perceived impact of volunteering on the family was assessed after completion of the program using an 11-item self-report measure. Rank-based nonparametric tests were used to detect significant differences among subgroups. Preliminary findings support the scale's adaptation to Veterans, internal consistency, and construct validity. At least one perceived family impact indicator differed significantly ( p < .05) between subgroups based on demographic and psychological factors. Veterans in this civic service program perceived that their volunteering may have affected their families.