Abstract
This poster provides interventions that female veterans can use to overcome daily challenges. It also establishes a framework for a life skills program that empowers participants to acquire the skills needed for independent living.
Primary Author and Speaker: Tarah Marie Barrett
Contributing Authors: Christine Daeschner
The purpose of this project is to identify the role of occupational therapy in addressing the demands of female veterans who have experienced homelessness. More than 2 million women veterans live in the United States, and by 2040, women are projected to make up 18% of all veterans (U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs, 2022). Abuse, military sexual trauma, substance use, and physical health diagnoses are a few examples of risk factors for female veterans who have experienced homelessness (Short et al., 2023). Implementing a life skills program will engage clients in occupation-based interventions to increase their overall knowledge of essential everyday skills. In addition, engaging in a life skills-centered program can lead to reported improvements in multiple areas, such as substance use, homelessness, employment, mental health, life satisfaction, and criminal justice involvement (Gray et al., 2017). The inclusion criteria will be individuals who are female, eighteen years of age or older, in housing, have veteran status, speak and read English, and can attend all in-person program sessions. Recruitment will occur at a housing department for Veterans. Participants will complete self-created pre- and post-surveys. Descriptive statistics will be used to analyze both surveys to determine if the results support or oppose the anticipated outcomes. The project is assumed to increase participants’ knowledge of life skills after completing the program. Due to the high prevalence of homelessness among female veterans, it is apparent that gender-specific occupational therapy approaches are needed to identify and treat risk factors for homelessness among this population. This project has the potential to ignite future research, program development, and advocacy for occupational therapy’s role in addressing the needs of this population.
Short, M., Felder, S., Baird, L. G., & Gamble, B. (2023). Female veterans’ risk factors for homelessness: A scoping review. Journal of Military, Veteran and Family Health, 9(4), 29–38. https://doi.org/10.3138/jmvfh-2022-0069
U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs. (2022, December). Women veterans health care: Facts and statistics. https://www.womenshealth.va.gov/materials-and-resources/facts-and-statistics.asp
Gray, H. M., Nelson, S. E., Shaffer, H. J., Stebbins, P., & Farina, A. R. (2017). How do homeless adults change their lives after completing an intensive job-skills program? A prospective study. Journal of Community Psychology, 45(7), 888–905. https://doi.org/10.1002/jcop.21900