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EDUCATION MATERIALS FOR PUERTO RICAN VETERANS AND THEIR FAMILIES
Project Number RRP 06-185 funded
by HSR&D.
November 1, 2006 -
May 30, 2007
The impact of Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF) and Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF) on veterans and families in Puerto Rico is far reaching. Over 3,000 individuals have been deployed from Puerto Rico. Because of limited job opportunities and high poverty rates, military service has high appeal in Puerto Rico. Although little is known about OIF/OEF effects in Puerto Rico, it is known that the toll on soldiers and families in mainland U.S. is huge. Readjustment after returning to civilian life may be even more stressful than actual deployment because there is little information or training on what to expect or how to reintegrate into new family and community roles.
The long term goal is to develop research-based information on OEF/OIF veterans and family members’ experiences and to evaluate interventions that enhance these veterans’ reintegration into their communities. Our findings will be used to develop
culturally appropriate materials to help with post deployment readjustment and to develop a future, large intervention studies that integrate successful coping resources and modify constraints identified by participants in this study. Findings will assist clinicians and health planners in developing family-focused health care initiatives, which can be guided by the research-based conceptual framework developed in this study.
This cross-sectional, descriptive study uses qualitative methods. Qualitative methods include interviews and observations in the ethnographic tradition. Ethnographic methods are appropriate for this study because we are interested in the subjects’ unique realities and how subjects make sense of the impact of war on their lives and the lives of their families.
There are very limited materials for OEF/OIF veterans available in Spanish. Existing materials are not all culturally sensitive, nor are they at appropriate (grade) reading levels.
Educational materials have been evaluated, and additional materials have been created and are currently being translated into Spanish. Spanish/English materials will be reviewed by Focus Groups in next 75 days. A no-cost extension has been granted, the new End Date is 10/31/2007.
The impact of Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF) and Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF) on the lives of veterans and their family member in Puerto Rico is far reaching. As with all wars, the losses these individuals face extend beyond those lost on the battlefield. Over 3,000 men and women have been deployed from Puerto Rico. Service in the military has high appeal for those living on this island where there are few available jobs and high poverty rates. Military recruitment is well received and individuals go eagerly off to war but often return, struggling to deal with the horrors of war. The struggles are faced not only by the returning active duty military men and women but also their families. Life is never quite the same and yet, little is
known about the impact of the OIF/OEF in Puerto Rico. The proposed study addresses a priority in the VHA to improve the quality of life of veterans returning from OIF and OEF and is the first in an ongoing program of research being conducted in partnership between the VA HSR&D/RR&D Rehabilitation Outcomes Research Center of Excellence (RORC) and the San Juan VA Medical Center (SJVAMC) in San Juan. The Mayaquez VA Outpatient Clinic (MOPC) is part of the SJVAMC and serves the Western region of Puerto Rico. Currently, over 500 returning soldiers have registered at MOPC.
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