Date

8-29-2025

Department

School of Behavioral Sciences

Degree

Doctor of Education in Community Care and Counseling (EdD)

Chair

Mitchell Morrison

Keywords

Homeless or incarcerated veterans, with limited healthcare

Disciplines

Counseling | Education

Abstract

The importance of this phenomenological study explains why veterans' homelessness and incarceration remain a significant problem in American Society. The purpose of the study was to describe the experiences of homeless/incarcerated veterans. The study also examined the lack of needed healthcare services for veteran prisoners and ex-offenders. Incarcerated and homeless veterans are at risk for various adverse outcomes after their release, such as a range of physical, mental, and other psychosocial problems, including moral injury. The study employed a descriptive phenomenological design, utilizing various data collection methods, including a demographic questionnaire and one-on-one interviews, which were audiotaped. Selected and interviewed, veterans were chosen from a pool of several hundred participants. The researcher ensured that data and information generation adhered to standards of personal responsibility, credibility, and reliability. The setting for the study was VA hospitals in Northern Nevada, which is convenient for the researcher. The data were collected using a demographic questionnaire and face-to-face interviews. The questionnaire captured the participants' age, ethnicity, length of time in the military, and experiences in combat. Interview questions were open-ended and semi-structured, allowing the researcher to probe participants further as they responded. The data collected were analyzed using the six steps of thematic analysis, as recommended by Braun and Clarke, to identify emerging themes. Three themes emerged from the data: limited access to healthcare services, divorce, and experiences as combat veterans.

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