The Impact of Veterans' Perceptions of Reintegration Training and Support

Publication Date

Spring 4-16-2025

College

College of Sciences & Mathematics

Department

Psychological Science, Department of

SPARK Category

Research

Faculty Advisor

Dr. Abigail Heller

SPARK Session

Developmental Psychopathology 1 or 2 (Heller)

Presentation Type

Talk/Oral

Summary

Veterans in our society face considerable challenges related to mental, physical and social health. Previous research indicates that maladaptive coping mechanisms are strongly associated with depression and life dissatisfaction, while positive coping strategies can improve these outcomes (Langston, 2017). Existing literature also discusses the importance of resilience-building interventions (Elnitsky et al., 2017) and the identity in successful reintegration after service (Dolan et al., 2024). This study aimed to explore the relationship between perceived quality of reintegration training and psychological and physiological outcomes (e.g., anxiety, depression, physical health) through coping as a mediator and self-compassion as a moderator in veterans. It also explored the relationship between perceived quality of reintegration training and career adaptability via sense of self as a mediator and self-compassion as a moderator in veterans. United States veterans (N = 121) recruited through the online platform Prolific and via word-of-mouth completed a Qualtrics survey measuring demographics, perceived quality of reintegration training, resilient coping, anxiety, depression, life satisfaction, post-service support, physical health, self-compassion, sense of self, and career adaptability. Resilient coping significantly mediated the relationships between perceived quality of reintegration training and (1) anxiety, (2) depression, (3) life satisfaction, and (4) physical health, but it was not a mediator of the relationship between quality of training and post-service support. Sense of self was also not a mediator of the relationship between perceived quality of training and career adaptability. In all models, self-compassion did not act as a significant moderator. These findings could contribute to improving reintegration training programs and mental health interventions for veterans, ultimately leading to better outcomes across multiple areas of life.

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