A Randomized Clinical Trial of a Money Management Intervention for Veterans With Psychiatric Disabilities

OBJECTIVE: The study evaluated an intervention to help veterans with psychiatric disabilities, who face a unique set of challenges concerning money management. METHODS: A randomized clinical trial was conducted of a brief (one to three hours) psychoeducational, recovery-oriented money management intervention called $teps for Achieving Financial Empowerment ($AFE). RESULTS: Analyses revealed no main effects on outcomes of random assignment to $AFE (N=67) or a control condition consisting of usual care (N=77). Veterans who reported using$AFE skills showed significantly lower impulsive buying, more responsible spending, higher rates of engaging in vocational activities, and greater number of work hours compared with veterans in the control condition. CONCLUSIONS: Findings have clinical implications for case management services involving informal money management assistance. Offering veterans with psychiatric disabilities a one-time money management intervention is unlikely to lead to substantial changes. Results imply that efforts to improve psychosocial outcomes among veterans must not only teach but also increase use of money management skills

PTSD symptoms and family versus stranger violence in Iraq and Afghanistan veterans.

As a diagnosis, posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) has been associated with violence committed by veterans in many studies; however, a potential link to specific PTSD symptoms has received relatively less attention. This paper examines the relationship between PTSD symptoms and different types of violent behavior in Iraq and Afghanistan veterans. Participants were randomly sampled from a roster of all separated U.S. military service members or national guard/reservists who served after September 11, 2001. Data were collected at baseline and 1-year follow-up from a national sample of N = 1,090 veterans, from 50 states and all military branches. Of these veterans, 13% reported aggression toward a family member and 9% toward a stranger during the 1-year study period. Anger symptoms at baseline predicted higher odds of family violence at follow-up, both severe (OR = 1.30, CI [1.13, 1.48], p < .0001) and any (OR= 1.28, CI [1.19, 1.37], p < .0001). PTSD flashback symptoms at baseline predicted higher odds of stranger violence at follow-up, both severe (OR = 1.26, CI [1.11, 1.42], p < .0001) and any (OR = 1.16, CI [1.05, 1.28], p = .0029). Analyses revealed that males were more likely to engage in stranger violence, whereas females were more likely to endorse aggression in the family context. The results provide limited support to the hypothesis that PTSD “flashbacks” in veterans are linked to violence. The differing multivariate models illustrate distinct veteran characteristics associated with specific types of violence

A 3-Year Longitudinal Study Examining the Effect of Resilience on Suicidality in Veterans

This study evaluated the correlation and role of resilience and resilience factors in predicting suicidal ideation and attempts in veterans

Caseworker assessments of risk for recurrent maltreatment: Association with case-specific risk factors and re-reports

This article focuses on caseworkers’ assessments of risk of maltreatment recurrence among families in contact with social services. Specifically, the article has two primary goals: 1) to examine the association between caseworkers’ risk assessments and demographic, child, parent and family-level risk factors; and 2) to examine agreement between caseworkers’ risk assessments and any subsequent report, or reports, of maltreatment

Alcohol misuse and psychological resilience among U.S. Iraq and Afghanistan era veterans

The present study sought to investigate the longitudinal effects of psychological resilience against alcohol misuse adjusting for socio-demographic factors, trauma-related variables, and self-reported history of alcohol abuse