Date

7-22-2025

Department

School of Behavioral Sciences

Degree

Doctor of Education in Community Care and Counseling (EdD)

Chair

Michael Howard

Keywords

African American Female Veteran, combat veterans, Religious coping, Spiritual coping, Combat-related trauma, Intersectionality

Disciplines

Social and Behavioral Sciences

Abstract

African American females are drawn to pursue a military career for many reasons, including upholding a family tradition, securing funding for education, or simply due to the stability it offered in a challenging economic climate. This study depicted narratives of battlefield-induced psychological stress arising from the convergence of military culture intersectionality, posttraumatic stress, and the transition to civilian life. The purpose of this phenomenological study was to describe the religious or spiritual coping of African American female veterans who experienced combat-related trauma in the military. The participants were interviewed at Asheville Buncombe Community Christian Ministry (ABCCM) and Veterans Bridge Home. The theory guiding this study was intersectionality, coined by Kimberlé Crenshaw. This study delved into the interconnected nature of race, gender, class, and epistemology, examining how particular knowledge arose from lived realities. Previous literature touched on various themes, and related topics included military culture identity exploration, trauma exposure analysis, posttraumatic stress examination, spirituality reflected through meaning-making processes, cultural humility, and understanding more about health care disparities that existed among African American female veterans. The researcher’s methodological strategy aligned with transcendental phenomenology. The study measured encompassed focused, structured, open-ended questions and a focus group that drew connections between common threads.

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