From Warrior Ethos to Obscurity: Veteran Reintegration Literature Review
Abstract: Reintegration into the civilian sector is a lived experience military members traverse as they complete their military service and earn the title “veteran.” Although the transition may be relatively smooth, a subset of veterans experiences challenges with potential impacts on health and well-being. The aim of this article is to explore veteran reintegration research findings and to inform nurse practitioners of veteran experiences. Findings revealed concepts representing protective factors and constructs of connection, veteran-civilian identity, loss (culture, community, identity, and purpose), mental health, and trauma. There is a need for continued research that informs the health-care delivery process.
Abstract: U.S. Air Force remotely piloted aircraft (USAF RPA) personnel face diverse stressors negatively affecting psychological health and military readiness. Prior research in diverse populations supports predictable impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on occupational stressors, burnout, and more distal outcomes. Extending earlier studies linking broad variables (e.g., COVID-19 threat → work stress → burnout), the current study tests and refines an expanded mediation model based on multiple distinct pandemic concerns, occupational stressors, and burnout facets as antecedents of psychological distress mid-pandemic in RPA personnel (N = 496). Differential representation of demands, resources, and rewards evident across distinct occupational stressors in light of job demands/resources theory guided specification of mediated pathways. SEM analysis yielded moderate fit. Following removal of non-significant paths and addition of two interpretable direct paths, fit was improved, yielding seven dominant pandemic concern → occupational stressor → burnout → psychological distress pathways. In support of domain specification, five 'hub' variables (pandemic-driven change, personal stressors, workload, leader communication, and exhaustion) emerged as key intervention targets in mitigating distress in the USAF RPA community and similar populations during future pandemic-related crises.