Download Serving Student Veterans

Serving Student Veterans
DESCRIPTION
Veterans experience many difficulties while attending higher education institutions. It is
important for administrators to be aware of these common difficulties and how to better
serve the veterans that are attending their institutions. This is an excerpt from the new
AACRAO publication titled: Helping Veterans Succeed: A Handbook for Higher Education
Administrators. This publication seeks to increase administrators’ awareness and
understanding of veterans and what they can do to help these veterans succeed. The specific
aforementioned section encompasses two of the most common difficulties that veterans
struggle with: Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and Traumatic Brain Injuries (TBIs).
PTSD can develop in individuals who are exposed to trauma or experiences that deviate
from those that are common to everyday life. TBIs are injuries that result from trauma to the
head. TBIs result in a variety of symptoms depending on the severity of the trauma. PTSD
and TBI have become more prevalent due to the current conflict in Iraq and Afghanistan and
the soldiers returning from active duty combat in these areas. Military personnel returning
to further their education encounter barriers during the process as well as a disruption in
their ability to function due to disabilities (such as PTSD and TBIs). Administrators can
increase their knowledge of veterans and possible disabilities they develop and also be
generally understanding and flexible when helping these non-traditional, student veterans.
RESEARCH METHODS & PROCEDURES
This is a visual representation of a section of an upcoming publication by AACRAO
titled Helping Veterans Succeed: A Resource for Higher Education Administrators.
This section regards student veterans and their struggles with PTSD and TBI while
attending higher education institutions.
HIGHLIGHTS OF CHAPTER
Rodney L. Parks, PH.D. and Erin C. Walker - Elon University
"By 2011, about 120,000 soldiers returning from active duty since 2003 had been
diagnosed with PTSD" (Finley 2011, 2).
Soldiers returning from Iraq who have mental health problems are less likely to report
their problems or seek mental health care.
-Only 38-40% of a sample of soldiers returning from Iraq in 2003 who had mental
health problems indicated that they wanted to receive mental health care.
-Mostly this is due to veterans’ desire to not be perceived as weak, wanting to avoid the
embarrassment associated with mental illnesses, and also wishing to avoid stigmas and
possible ramifications of being labelled mentally ill.
Attending higher education can be difficult for student veterans with PTSD due to issues
associated with re-experiencing the trauma, coping mechanisms and resiliency, and
declarative memory and learning.
- "I knew it was crazy. I was thinking, he’s either a sniper or he’s going to radio
ahead. And then I thought, “This is San Antonio. There [are no] snipers on the roof,
nobody’s going to blow me up here.” But I still had to walk around so I wouldn’t be
nervous in class" (Finley 2011, 76).
-Veterans with PTSD tend to engage in avoidance behavior and have difficulty
coping with uncomfortable situations, such as giving presentations or being put on the spot
in class. They also tend to have much lower resiliency abilities.
- "The hyperarousal associated with PTSD can hinder the encoding of information
into declarative memory, making it difficult for individuals with the disorder to learn
new information."
Posttraumatic Stress Disorder
Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) is a common psychological disorder that
individuals can develop after being exposed to trauma.
Many people are exposed to traumatic events but not all who are develop PTSD as a
result.
It is common and normal to react with fear or unusual behavior to extreme situations.
The issue for people with PTSD is that they do not move past this stage of the stress
reaction; they do not move through all stages of the adaption and recovery processes
that are essential to overcoming the trauma of the event.
Criterion for this disorder includes:
-Being exposed to actual or threatened death, serious injury, or sexual violence in some
way.
-Re-experiencing the event, which presents itself in a variety of ways.
-Symptoms involving avoidance of anything associated with the event.
-Negative changes in the individual’s thoughts or mood.
-Significant alterations in arousal or reactions due to the traumatic event.
Traumatic Brain Injuries
Active duty combat can also involve injuries from IED’s or other sources of blunt force
trauma that can lead to varying severity levels of Traumatic Brain Injuries (TBIs).
TBI’s can range from mild to severe but the most common are mild TBI’s which can include
a variety of symptoms such as:
-Headaches
-Confusion
-Balance problems
-Nausea
-Memory problems
-Blurred vision
-Vomiting
-Mood changes
-Dizziness
-Poor motor control
-Others
"RAND Corporation (2008) found a prevalence rate of TBI in soldiers deployed to Iraq
and Afghanistan to be at about 19.5 percent, or affecting about 320,000 soldiers."
TBIs commonly impede student veterans’ functioning levels in higher education institutions
because:
-They can impair attentional functioning
-Prohibit information from being stored in long term memory
-Other psychological disorders are commonly comorbid with TBI’s which leads to further
impairments in functioning levels of student veterans in the classroom.
How to Help Veterans With These Disabilities
Administrators should:
-Be knowledgeable about health benefits offered on campus and off-campus for student
veterans, or knowledgeable on where to direct the student veteran for this information.
-Understand the complexities of these disorders in order to cater toward their needs.
-Be flexible when helping student veterans and understand that many times there are
extenuating circumstances for this group of students.
-Make veterans feel comfortable in your institution by gaining knowledge on military life/
personnel, being friendly and helpful, and helping them find other veterans on campus.
-Furthermore, be aware and understand that many veterans do not feel comfortable
disclosing their status as veterans, nor their status as disabled.
SUMMARY AND IMPLICATIONS
•
PTSD and TBIs greatly decrease soldiers’ levels of functioning in all aspects of their
lives.
•
PTSD and TBIs interfere with many student veterans ability to learn and interact
with other students.
•
Due to the education benefits that the GI Bill provides for veterans, many of them
are seeking further education at higher education institutions throughout the
country.
•
These institutions need to be prepared for these students and the possible
disabilities they have (such as PTSD, TBI’s).
•
Administrators and faculty members need to be aware of these disabilities and
what they entail, flexible and understanding when handling veteran’s needs and
questions, and able to support these students in their endeavors.
•
Administrators need to understand that they can better help their student veterans
if they are more knowledgeable of the disabilities that are commonly associated with
veterans and how to help students with these disabilities.