Psychosocial Concerns of Veterans of Operation Enduring Freedom/Operation Iraqi Freedom

• Published in: Health & social work Vol. 39; no. 1; pp. 17 - 24
• Main Authors: Strong, Jessica, Ray, Kathleen, Findley, Patricia A., Torres, Rita, Pickett, Lisa, Byrne, Richard J.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States Oxford University Press 01-02-2014
• Subjects: Adult; Afghan Campaign 2001; Basic needs; Employment - statistics & numerical data; Family Characteristics; Female; Freedom; Health Care Services; Health Surveys; Humans; Illness; Interpersonal Relations; Intervention; Iraq; Iraq War; Iraq War, 2003-2011; Male; Medical Records; Mental Disorders - epidemiology; Mental Disorders - etiology; Mental Disorders - psychology; Mental illness; Needs; New Jersey - epidemiology; Pain Management; Psychological effects; Psychosociology; Retrospective Studies; Self Report; Sleep Wake Disorders; Social Support; Social Work; Social Work - methods; Social Work - standards; U.S.A; United States - epidemiology; Veterans; Veterans - psychology; Veterans - statistics & numerical data; Veterans Health - statistics & numerical data; Vocational Education; War; United States; New Jersey; United States > US; veterans; psychosocial factors; social work; mental health
• ISSN: 0360-7283; 1545-6854
• DOI: 10.1093/hsw/hlu002

U.S. veterans present with complex medical and psychosocial concerns postdeployment. Identification of psychosocial concerns is necessary for appropriate and targeted social work interventions to improve delivery and receipt of health care through the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. The purpose of this article is to identify specific psychosocial concerns of veterans of Operations Iraqi Freedom and Enduring Freedom (OIF/OEF) presenting at the War Related Illness and Injury Study Center. A retrospective chart review of psychosocial concerns from all OIF/OEF veterans seen from June 2008 to June 2010 provided data for this mixed methods study. Veterans in the sample (N = 356) reported an average of 5.2 psychosocial concerns (SD = 2.32, range = 0 to 11). The most commonly reported concerns were pain (72 percent), sleep (62 percent), cognition (61 percent), vocational issues (53 percent), education (49 percent), finances (42 percent), relationships (37 percent), anger (30 percent), substance abuse (23 percent), and social support (20 percent), though these categories were not exclusive and many veterans endorsed more than one category. Multiple psychosocial concerns reported by veterans suggest the need for targeted social work intervention.