Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation Iraqi Freedom Veterans with amputation: An exploration of resilience, employment and individual characteristics
Issue title: Special Section: Papers from the State of the Science Conference on the Employment of People with Physical Disabilities, Richmond, VA, USA, September 26 and 27, 2017
Affiliations: [a] Department of Rehabilitation Counseling, School of Allied Health Professions, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA, USA
| [b] Department of Physical Therapy, School of Allied Health Professions, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA, USA
| [c] Department of Biostatistics, VCU School of Medicine, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA, USA
| [d] Rehabilitation Research and Training Center (VCU-RRTC) on Employment of People with Physical Disabilities, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA, USA
Correspondence:
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Address for correspondence: Amy J. Armstrong, Associate Professor & Chair, Department of Rehabilitation Counseling, School of Allied Health Professions, Virginia Commonwealth University, 730 East Broad St., Richmond, VA, USA. Tel.: +1 804 827 0913; E-mail: ajarmstr@vcu.edu.
Abstract: BACKGROUND:Since 2002 approximately 1,700 US military service members have experienced trauma related amputations from injuries incurred in Afhanistan and Iraq (Fisher, 2015). OBJECTIVE:This study explores the variables of resilience, individual characteristics, and employment status of a sample of these Veterans who served in Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF) and Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF) and sustained an amputation. METHODS:Veterans identified through the VA Corporate Data Warehouse (N = 165) completed a survey on their experiences following amputation. RESULTS:Results indicate that several variables were significantly related to resilience, to include employment status, pain status, and prosthetic use. CONCLUSION:Recommendations for future research and practice are provided.
