Psychological services
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Psychological services · May 2013
Comparative StudyA wraparound treatment engagement intervention for homeless veterans with co-occurring disorders.
This article reports the results of a low-intensity wraparound intervention, Maintaining Independence and Sobriety through Systems Integration, Outreach, and Networking (MISSION), to augment Treatment as Usual (TAU) and engage and retain homeless veterans with a co-occurring disorder (COD) in care. Using a quasi-experimental design, 333 homeless veterans were enrolled, 218 who received MISSION along with TAU and 115 who received TAU alone. Group assignment was based on MISSION treatment slot availability at time of enrollment. ⋯ Although this study confirmed that compared with TAU alone, MISSION along with TAU is effective in augmenting usual care and engaging and retaining homeless veterans in treatment, some caution is warranted as this study did not involve random assignment. These results, however, are similar to a recent study involving a briefer version of the intervention which included random assignment. Based on these findings, MISSION is being further studied in the joint Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) - Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Supportive Housing (HUD-VASH) program, which offers rapid housing placement and case management to aid in housing maintenance.
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Psychological services · May 2013
Perceived barriers to care and provider gender preferences among veteran men who have experienced military sexual trauma: a qualitative analysis.
Research suggests that there may be unique barriers to accessing care among men who have experienced sexual trauma. The primary goal of the current research was to elucidate potential barriers to accessing military sexual trauma (MST)-related care for male veterans. A secondary goal was to explore whether veterans have preferences regarding the gender of clinicians providing MST-related care. ⋯ Regarding provider gender preferences, veterans were mixed, with 50% preferring a female provider, 25% a male provider, and 25% reporting no gender preference. These preliminary data suggest that stigma, gender, and knowledge-related barriers may exist for men regarding seeking MST-related care. Interventions to address potential barriers, such as outreach interventions and providing gender-specific psychoeducation, may increase access to care for male veterans who report MST.