The Impact of Psychological Trauma on Negative Employment Outcomes Among Post-9/11 Veterans in the United States
Restricted (Penn State Only)
- Author:
- Hawkey, Kyle
- Graduate Program:
- Workforce Education and Development
- Degree:
- Doctor of Philosophy
- Document Type:
- Dissertation
- Date of Defense:
- May 11, 2022
- Committee Members:
- Wesley Donahue, Major Field Member
Keith Aronson, Outside Unit Member
Daniel Perkins, Outside Field Member
Heather Zimmerman, Professor in Charge/Director of Graduate Studies
William Brendel, Chair & Dissertation Advisor - Keywords:
- Post-9/11 Veterans
Trauma
Psychological Trauma
Employment Outcomes
Unemployment
Underemployment - Abstract:
- Post-9/11 veterans have higher rates of psychological trauma than the civilian population. In addition, they have historically faced higher rates of negative employment outcomes than the rest of the US workforce. A dearth of previous research has explored the possibly bidirectional relationship between psychological trauma and unemployment and/or underemployment in post-9/11 veterans. This study advances the scholarly literature on the topic by utilizing a longitudinal cohort study to examine the impact of cumulative and differential trauma on the employment outcomes of 4,594 post-9/11 veterans over three years and six waves of data collection. Four hierarchical binary logistic regression models were conducted, indicating that specific personal demographics, military characteristics, cumulative trauma, and differential traumas all influence the likelihood of a post-9/11 veteran experiencing unemployment and underemployment within their first three years of their transition from military service. More specifically, this investigation found that experiencing cumulative trauma, adverse childhood experiences (ACEs), and/or military sexual trauma (MST) significantly and positively increases the likelihood of a post-9/11 veteran experiencing unemployment and underemployment. These broad-level findings fill gaps in the available scholarly literature on the subject matter. The hypothesis for a causal relationship between these variables has been further strengthened by the findings of this study, paving the way for future research to continue to contribute to the knowledge base of the impact of psychological trauma on negative employment outcomes in post-9/11 veterans.