Date Presented 03/28/20
Veterans entering college experience transition challenges that may affect their academic success and well-being. Photovoice, interviews, and focus groups were used to explore the patterns of occupational engagement of female college-student veterans, as well as supports and barriers to their well-being. This presentation will highlight the results as depicted in Photovoice pieces and their corresponding narratives, in addition to transcription of interviews and focus groups.
Primary Author and Speaker: Jenna Yeager
PURPOSE: Veterans taking advantage of the GI Bill to attend college face challenges during transition, including health issues incurred during service and the need to develop new routines, habits and roles (Gregg, Howell, & Shordike, 2016), yet, relevant research continues to be limited. Anticipated increases in the size of the post-9/11 veteran cohort and their college enrollment, indicate a heightened need for the provision of services. Thus, the primary research question of the study was: What are the patterns of occupational participation experienced by female student veterans as expressed through Photo Voice, and how do these patterns influence their well-being? Findings from this study may be used to inform occupational therapists regarding opportunities for interventions to support this population.
DESIGN: This completed study utilized a phenomenological qualitative case study design in order to investigate the occupational participation within the female student veteran population. Purposive and snowball sampling, including the use of flyers, e-mails and word-of-mouth, resulted in the recruitment of nine female participants who were full time students at a metropolitan university.
METHOD: Photovoice methodology (Wang & Burris, 1997) used in the study included the prompt for participants to take one to three photographs per day for a period of two weeks, depicting aspects of their experience as female student veterans. Following the period of photographic data collection, participants engaged in an individual interview and two focus groups to review and discuss the meaning of their photographs. Transcripts from the interviews and focus groups were analyzed using a six-phase thematic analysis guided by Braun and Clarke (2006), and analysis of photographic data was guided by Chapman, Wu, & Zhu (2017).
RESULTS: Data analysis revealed seven primary themes including the experiences of: sacrificing time spent in valued occupations and relationships for school requirements (eg: balancing mothering and academic demands); necessity of prioritizing & balancing multiple roles to achieve occupational performance; benefits of military experience influencing academic success; experience of institutional barriers and lack of supports to manage multiple roles; significance of social supports; physical and social environments supporting role performance (eg: Military Veterans Center); and the use of habits, routines and occupations to enhance and support occupational engagement (eg: exercise, calendars, pets, leisure, coffee).
CONCLUSION: In conclusion, results of this study revealed the experiences of female student veterans as expressed through photographs depicting aspects of their occupational participation, integrated with individual and group processing of the relation to their academic success and overall well-being. Knowledge translation will focus on the articulation of intervention opportunities based on these findings.
IMPACT STATEMENT: This research has important implications for practice and policy, as the experiences of female student veterans will reveal opportunities to develop more effective programming and interventions to support their academic success and overall well-being. In addition, this research provides a powerful influence informing the development of occupational therapy interventions and subsequent research through a consideration of their issues as presented in their own voices.
References
Gregg, B. T., Howell, D. M., & Shordike, A. (2016). Experiences of veterans transitioning to postsecondary education. American Journal of Occupational Therapy, 70(6), 1-8. http://dx.doi.org/10.5014/ajot.2016.021030
Wang, C., & Burris, M. A. (1997). Photovoice: Concept, methodology, and use for participatory needs assessment. Health Education & Behavior, 24, 369-387. http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/109019819702400309
Braun, V., & Clarke, V. (2006). Using thematic analysis in psychology. Qualitative Research in Psychology, 3(2), 77-101. http://dx.doi.org/10.1191/1478088706qp063oa
Chapman, M. V., Wu, S., & Zhu, M. (2017). What is a picture worth? A primer for coding and interpreting photographic data. Qualitative Social Work, 16(6), 810-824. https://doi.org/10.1177/1473325016650513
