Student Veterans Reintegrating From the Military to the University With Traumatic Injuries: How Does Service Use Relate to Health Status?

OBJECTIVE: To examine the effects of campus services on the health of veterans with traumatic injuries and comorbidities as they return from military service and enter college.

DESIGN: Cross-sectional Internet survey using a mixed-methods analysis approach.

SETTING: Four-year urban research university.

PARTICIPANTS: Veterans returning from active military duty (N=127).

INTERVENTIONS: None.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Surveys included standardized measures of health status, traumatic injuries, and functional impairment (PTSD Checklist, Civilian version; Veterans Health Administration traumatic brain injury [TBI] screen; and Veterans RAND-12 item Health Survey); use of campus services and perceived effectiveness of these services in supporting reintegration to the university; and recommendations for additional services.

RESULTS: Quantitative and qualitative data revealed that student veterans experience high rates of chronic pain that interfere with their daily functioning (92.7%), symptoms of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) (77.9%), symptoms of TBI (26.0%), and comorbidities as the polytrauma clinical triad (14.2%). Despite the high prevalence of pain, PTSD, and TBI, few students used disability services (5.2%), counseling services (18.8%), or student health services (36.5%). Students experienced challenges accessing needed health services when reintegrating from the military to the university, including mutable university service factors.

CONCLUSIONS: Findings indicate the need for campus services to address the particular needs of student veterans and the need for determining what particular services should be offered to help this population cope with injuries and succeed in college.