Journal Article Review (Homeless Veterans)
At the time of this article, Dr. Brenda B. Benda, author of this article, was a Professor in the School of Social Work at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock. Current bibliography information could not be located.
Objective of Article:
This article examined gender differences in predictors of readmission to inpatient drug treatment among homeless veterans because Veteran Affairs (V.A.) medical centers currently do not have services that are designed specifically for women and that there is limited sensitivity about or understanding of women’s needs at the V.A. medical centers (p. 60). At the time of this study, Selgado’s study (as cited in Benda, 2005) shows women only comprised 5 percent of veterans with access to health care services in the V.A., or approximately 1.4 million of a total of 25.5 million veterans. The lack of specialized services seems the primary reason that most women seek medical services outside the V.A., often at their own expense. Therefore, a study of factors associated with substance abuse relapse among homeless veterans will provide useful information for designing specialized services at the V.A. for women in drug treatment (p. 60). Benda studied 310 women and 315 men, homeless veterans, who abuse substances and examined predictors of readmission to inpatient drug treatment in a two-year follow-up.
This study appears to be the first study of gender differences in predictors of readmission among homeless veterans, and it examines the possibilities of various social support systems mediate or moderates the relationships between different traumatic experience over the life span and readmission (p. 59).
Purpose of Article:
The purpose of this article is to examine and answer the following research questions: (1) what gender differences, if any, exist, in predictors of readmission to inpatient care for drug abuse among homeless veterans, (2) are abuses at different stages of the life span, combat exposure, and recent
Objective of Article:
This article examined gender differences in predictors of readmission to inpatient drug treatment among homeless veterans because Veteran Affairs (V.A.) medical centers currently do not have services that are designed specifically for women and that there is limited sensitivity about or understanding of women’s needs at the V.A. medical centers (p. 60). At the time of this study, Selgado’s study (as cited in Benda, 2005) shows women only comprised 5 percent of veterans with access to health care services in the V.A., or approximately 1.4 million of a total of 25.5 million veterans. The lack of specialized services seems the primary reason that most women seek medical services outside the V.A., often at their own expense. Therefore, a study of factors associated with substance abuse relapse among homeless veterans will provide useful information for designing specialized services at the V.A. for women in drug treatment (p. 60). Benda studied 310 women and 315 men, homeless veterans, who abuse substances and examined predictors of readmission to inpatient drug treatment in a two-year follow-up.
This study appears to be the first study of gender differences in predictors of readmission among homeless veterans, and it examines the possibilities of various social support systems mediate or moderates the relationships between different traumatic experience over the life span and readmission (p. 59).
Purpose of Article:
The purpose of this article is to examine and answer the following research questions: (1) what gender differences, if any, exist, in predictors of readmission to inpatient care for drug abuse among homeless veterans, (2) are abuses at different stages of the life span, combat exposure, and recent
References: Department of Veteran Affairs. (2012, July 22). Retrieved from Department of Veteran Affairs: http://www.va.gov/HOMELESS Benda, B. B. (2005). A Study of Substance Abuse, Traumata, and Social Support Systems Among Homeless Veterans. Journal of Human Behavior in the Social Environment, Volume 12 (1), 1-24.