Introduction
The study reveals a problem that is associated with the provision of psychological assistance to LGBTQ+ military personnel and veterans. This will be considered in the context of discrimination-based injuries, filling in the existing gaps in the investigation of this moment. The article focuses on the experience based on discrimination after the termination of military policy and when seeking medical care in a particular medical institution. It is known that a large proportion of militaries from the minority category experience adverse consequences associated with injuries, discrimination, and stress (Livingston et al., 2019). Notably, most of these citizens do not seek proper medical care, aggravating the situation. However, preliminary data on recommendations for conceptualizing cases, treatment, helping, and caring for such people requires more profound, comprehensive, and thorough analyses (Livingston et al., 2019). It is necessary to emphasize these aspects and expand existing knowledge and ideas about what the LGBTQ+ military is experiencing.
Various difficulties often arise in recognizing the manifestations of mental illness in organizations for the readaptation and rehabilitation of LGBTQ+ military personnel and veterans. US military aid policy needs to be revisited about LGBTQ+ people due to its ineffectiveness (Goodhart & Taylor, 2020). The purpose of the study is a qualitative and quantitative study of the problem concerning the experiences of discrimination-based trauma-exposed LGBTQ+ service members and veterans and their experiences since the termination of the military’s “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy. Gender differences between military personnel may be accompanied by different manifestations of mental disorders (Jeffery et al., 2021). Problems may be the lack of theoretical development of the problem of psychological changes in military personnel participating in hostilities, the uncertainty of their boundaries, and the lack of clear diagnostic and prognostic criteria. At a minimum, the existence of this problem is indicated in justifications and evidence by other researchers in their works. For instance, according to Mark et al. (2019), there has recently been a trend towards developing poor mental health and well-being among LGBTQ service members and veterans. Furthermore, other researchers additionally drew attention to the level of injuries and PTSD among military minorities and their unwillingness to receive proper treatment soon. They also tried to contribute to the study of this problem and to understand the number of requests for help and the level of satisfaction with medical care by patients in a particular institution (Shipherd et al., 2018). By reason of the above problems, it is necessary to study and prove the problem’s existence for its other solution.
A Purpose Statement
The study aims to study the morale of LGBTQ+ veterans who have been discriminated against to further develop a more suitable program for them. State care for veterans is vital for helping people who give back to their homeland (Puntasecca et al., 2019). This includes discrimination in seeking medical treatment and the location of treatments as Military Hospitals vs Non-military hospitals and Veterans Health Administration versus non-VHA and their satisfaction with care. To solve this problem, it will be necessary to comprehensively study the military experience among LGBTQ+ in a particular context, consider cases of these citizens contacting specific health organizations, and the degree of satisfaction with the medical care received.
Consequently, the research source base consists of articles from peer-reviewed scientific publications, interviews, and a quantitative survey of adult veterans and military personnel from the minority category. The article will carry out an accurate selection of essential and valuable information. The consequences of mental trauma are not limited to the theatre of military operations; their manifestation often occurs months or even years after returning veterans to civilian life, mainly due to discrimination. Job problems for LGBTQ+ people are often linked to discrimination and stigma, making it difficult for them to keep a job (Cech & Rothwell, 2019). The problem is addressed through a detailed study of the health status of LGBTQ+ military personnel based on discrimination, the main traumatic experiences and their consequences, and the success of adaptation to civilian life. This will justify the need for psychological support of military personnel from conscription to military service to rehabilitation and identify indicators that allow predicting the degree of stress resistance to combat operations.
The Research Questions
The list of research questions to be answered in detail includes the following:
- What is the experience of military and LGBTQ+ veterans based on discriminatory and biased attitudes toward them?
- What is the experience of military and LGBTQ+ veterans considering the termination of the military’s “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy and discrimination when seeking medical care?
- How satisfied are military and LGBTQ+ veterans with the care?
The research hypothesis is that LGBTQ+ veterans and military personnel are demanding new mental health programs due to the invalidity of the old ones. These questions are most focused on the study, analysis, and consideration of issues and phenomena in which members of minorities have undergone experiences in terms of bias, labels, discrimination, intolerance, prejudice, and several other relevant cases. According to McDonald et al. (2020), a higher proportion of military non-heterosexuals have positive results for stress, anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder, and suicidal tendencies due to prejudice and lack of support; most of them seek help from military consultants. These problems are still relevant but little studied, demanding the attention of researchers. In addition, a serious problem for veterans and military personnel is the infatuation with alcohol due to humiliation (Ayer et al., 2022). In particular, the procedure for obtaining answers to these questions is recommended to evaluate the experience of these citizens seeking medical care and support and how healthcare professionals in specific institutions treat them.
The Research Design
An analytic study is a design that best fits the framework of the research’s topic, goals, and objectives. It will help answer the questions posed in the best possible way and reveal the phenomenon’s essence. In a descriptive study, a relationship is established between two features of a particular phenomenon, and it is determined whether the relationship is causal in an analytical study.
Moreover, it is necessary to appeal to the cross-sectional study as one of the types of analytical research. The study design is best suited to identify associations between diseases and other variables in the selected population. The presence or absence of the disease and the presence or absence of other signs or, if they are quantitative, the degree of their severity is determined in each member of the population or a representative sample at one time. The effectiveness of providing psychological assistance to the military and veterans is due to the creation of correct programs for working with people (Lange et al., 2020). As mentioned earlier, the study will be based on an analysis of relevant sources of information, interviews, and a quantitative survey. In general, the rationale for choosing this design of the study is explained by the following essential points. The obtained research data can be used for training, information exchange with colleagues, and developing hypotheses for further research.
Analytical research allows one to study hypothetical causal relationships. Analytical techniques permit to obtain of the most reliable data on the causes and consequences of emerging diseases in a specific category of citizens. In this case, the task of analytical research is to identify and measure the health effects of particular influences. In an analytical study, individuals in the population are classified by the presence or absence (or the possibility of developing in the future) of certain diseases and by signs that may affect the development of a disease. The psychological trauma of LGBTQ+ members in the military often stems from the reluctance of others to perceive them as equals (Gurung et al., 2018). These signs include indicators such as belonging to a minority group – LGBTQ+, status, and role in society related to the military sphere. These are adults who experience psychological problems due to discrimination.
The Data Collection Process
Research design implies obtaining formalized information about the phenomenon under study. Interviews, qualitative surveys, and analyses of scientific articles are the primary tools used in the study. It is assumed that the students will contact the military hospital, non-military hospitals, Veterans Health Administration (VHA), and non-VHA and consult with healthcare professionals and patients, interview and interpret the information received in the form of a quantitative survey. Furthermore, the selection of data will be carried out through a wide range of studies on the topic.
Surveys and interviews, along with their direct purpose, such as obtaining information on the problem, serve to popularize the library and inform the public about its services and events. It is assumed that the information obtained due to its conduct will be sufficient to answer questions. The peculiarity of data collection through interviews, surveys, and data analysis is that it aims to obtain a holistic picture of the phenomenon under study. At the same time, data is collected separately through different channels and in other parts. When collecting, the following factors played a role for the researcher: the topic, an informal model of the object of research, selection units and a meaningful model of the object of study. Moreover, the human factor must be considered, especially when creating new data collection technologies.
The Process for Data Collection
Data collection refers to the correct and organized way of conducting research. This will help the scientist to get the necessary basic knowledge in their field of study. The data collection process is crucial for advancing medical research. If the data collected is adequate and trustworthy, this poses a threat to the duration of the study. Collecting point data is essential and has several positive aspects. One should remember the following four crucial steps to have the best and highest quality data.
The first and innovative step is to know the purpose of the research area. What a researcher wants to have in hand at the end of the project will help them get started—research of concepts. One must model the situation, understand it and collect details from a specific context. This data is usually intangible and requires the expertise of psychology or consumer behaviour specialists to understand all aspects of the data collected. Moreover, it will be necessary to confirm hypotheses. This form of data is usually numerical and requires statistical analysis to understand a specific trend of growth or decline.
Secondly, the methods the student has determined should be used in practice. These methods are helpful for both qualitative and quantitative analysis. Thirdly, it is necessary to plan the process and learn how to organize and store data. The sample size, sample availability, and duration of data collection should be determined. Different data samples will require one person to perform other tasks. Depending on the needs of the hour, the corresponding analysis should be carried out with extreme care. This is a period when serious editing and arbitrary proofreading can be performed. Looking back at the goal, one can proceed to the course of action adopted for this purpose.
Fourthly, after studying all the steps, one should use them by purpose and scope. How much data a person has and its accuracy will determine their effective result and success. The data collection includes valuable information and asset filters that help indicate the papers’ usefulness. It is more useful when the collected data is correct and contains high-quality text.
Serious difficulties arise in the data collection process, which could be more noticeable and threaten both the quality of the data collected and the sustainability of the collection process over time. The probability of errors in the analysis of surveys and bias in the interpretation of answers to interviews are problems that should be avoided. Several technical difficulties may also arise in the data collection process.
Reliability and Validity
Based on the reliability and reliability of the results obtained and their applicability in clinical practice, all 12 studies are characterized from two positions – reliability (internal validity) and generalizability (external validity, applicability). Random error – occurs due to the deviation of the result of an individual observation or measurement from its actual value, which is caused by chance. Random variations may appear throughout the study. Such variations are of particular importance in the chosen topic, as it is important to consider all LGBTQ+ people and their characteristics (Carey et al., 2022). They are associated with individual variability of the biological properties of the studied people or animals, random measurement errors, and insufficient sample size. Unlike systematic errors, random errors cannot be eliminated but minimized. This is achieved by proper study planning, increasing the number of patients in the study, repeating measurements several times, and, in addition, by assessing the probability of a random error using statistical methods. Minimizing random errors is one of the main tasks of analyzing the results.
Consequently, the reliability of the research results is determined by the extent to which the study structure corresponds to the tasks set and to what extent the data obtained are valid concerning the studied sample. Based on this, a reliable study should be considered in which the possibility of systematic and accidental errors is minimized. Validity or reliability is how well the research method and its results correspond to the tasks set. High validity is characterized by a well-chosen research method correctly identifying, measuring and interpreting the object under study. Validity is the confidence that the experiment measured exactly what the researchers wanted to measure. Validity is a measure of compliance with the extent to which the study’s methodology and results correspond to the tasks set. Reliability and validity are essential components for determining the overall success of a research project.
To increase generalizability, multicenter studies involving patients from different geographical regions are also used; the sample represents a wider geographical area. Therefore, the results of these studies can then be applied more reasonably to the population of this zone. When reading critically, it is necessary to evaluate the representativeness of the sample described in the article. Usually, the generalizability of research results is achieved by minimizing systematic errors.
Analysis Techniques
Analysis of research data is a key stage. It is a set of techniques and methods aimed at checking whether the assumptions and hypotheses were correct and answering the questions asked. This stage is perhaps the most difficult regarding intellectual efforts and professional qualifications, but it allows you to get the most useful information from the collected data. The methods of data analysis are diverse, and the choice of a particular method of data analysis depends, first of all, on which questions should be answered.
When collecting indicators, it is necessary to consider the need to obtain complete and representative information on the process under study. The survey method consists of collecting information by questioning or interviewing, which allows you to receive information from a direct participant in the process under study. Surveys can be conducted both orally. In writing, in person, in absentia, you can reach any audience by the number of survey participants. The analysis of scientific journals, in which documents are used as the main source of information, is mainly used in the analysis of events in the past tense and cannot be analyzed by another method.
Limitations and Ethical Considerations
The limitations of the study are the apparent narrowness of the possibilities of using the chosen research methods, the characteristics of the objects of study, the unambiguity of the context, and the boundaries of the subject of the experiment under consideration. The study’s limitations should be the number of students (approximately 10 people), criteria regarding sexual orientation and field of activity. This limitation can be circumvented by including more students in the survey. Concentrating on the qualitative and quantitative indicators of the phenomenon under study allows us to declare the scientific nature of the results obtained and avoid this limitation. In addition to the criterion of subject limitations, ethical and sociocultural prohibitions are also considered essential guidelines and limitations of scientific research today. The biases of the study may be the biased attitude of any of the respondents towards LGBTQ+ representatives. In this case, it will be possible to avoid this by clarifying the respondent’s position in advance.
Modern science is closely intertwined with the problems of social responsibility and ethics. The most common ethical restrictions are the inadmissibility of causing physical harm or harm to the honour and dignity of a person during an experiment, as well as the inadmissibility of conducting an experiment or using data about a person without his consent. These restrictions will not affect this study, as it will be conducted by ethical standards and in compliance with comfortable psychological conditions for respondents.
Conclusion
The study is important in identifying the root causes of psychological pressure and mental trauma among LGBTQ+ veterans and military personnel. Thus, the work is the basis for making it possible to change the system of psychological assistance for better integration into the society of such people. Finding out what discrimination and why LGBTQ+ military personnel face is a step towards developing new programs to help them perform their duties better. Without factors of oppression, such people will be able to fully reveal their potential in work. Care is one of the most important aspects of providing post-traumatic care to veterans and should be provided better than now.
References
Ayer, L., Ramchand, R., Karimi, G., & Wong, E. C. (2022). Co-occurring alcohol and mental health problems in the military: Prevalence, disparities, and service utilization. Psychology of Addictive Behaviors, 36(4), 419–427. Web.
Carey, F. R., Jacobson, I. G., Lehavot, K., LeardMann, C. A., Kolaja, C. A., Stander, V. A., & Rull, R. P. (2022). Military service experiences and reasons for service separation among lesbian, gay, and bisexual individuals in a large military cohort. BMC Public Health, 22(1). Web.
Cech, E. A., & Rothwell, W. R. (2019). LGBT workplace inequality in the federal workforce: Intersectional processes, organizational contexts, and turnover considerations. ILR Review, 73(1), 25–60. Web.
Goodhart, A., & Taylor, J. K. (2020). LGBT Military Service Policies in the United States. In Oxford Research Encyclopedia of Politics. Oxford University Press. Web.
Gurung, S., Ventuneac, A., Rendina, H. J., Savarese, E., Grov, C., & Parsons, J. T. (2018). Prevalence of military sexual trauma and sexual orientation discrimination among lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender military personnel: A descriptive study. Sexuality Research and Social Policy, 15(1), 74–82. Web.
Jeffery, D. D., Beymer, M. R., Mattiko, M. J., & Shell, D. (2021). Health behavior differences between male and female U.S. military personnel by sexual orientation: The importance of disaggregating lesbian, gay, and bisexual groups. Military Medicine, 186(5-6), 556–564. Web.
Lange, T. M., Hilgeman, M. M., Portz, K. J., Intoccia, V. A., & Cramer, R. J. (2020). Pride in all who served: Development, feasibility, and initial efficacy of a health education group for LGBT veterans. Journal of Trauma & Dissociation, 21(4), 484–504. Web.
Livingston, N. A., Berke, D. S., Ruben, M. A., Matza, A. R., & Shipherd, J. C. (2019). Experiences of trauma, discrimination, microaggressions, and minority stress among trauma-exposed LGBT veterans: unexpected findings and unresolved service gaps. Psychological Trauma: Theory, Research, Practice, and Policy, 11(7), 695–703. Web.
Mark, K. M., McNamara, K. A., Gribble, R., Rhead, R., Sharp, M. L., Stevelink, S. A.,… & Fear, N. T. (2019). The health and well-being of LGBTQ serving and ex-serving personnel: a narrative review. International Review of Psychiatry, 31(1), 75-94. Web.
McDonald, J. L., Ganulin, M. L., Dretsch, M. N., Taylor, M. R., & Cabrera, O. A. (2020). Assessing the well-being of sexual minority soldiers at a military academic institution. Military Medicine, 185(Supplement_1), 342–347. Web.
Puntasecca, C., Hall, E. A., & Ware, J. (2019). Serving all who served: An analysis of the VA’s visual and digital rhetorics for welcoming sexual and gender minority veterans into VA Care. World Medical & Health Policy, 11(4), 440–463. Web.
Shipherd, J. C., Ruben, M. A., Livingston, N. A., Curreri, A., & Skolnik, A. A. (2018). Treatment experiences among LGBT veterans with discrimination-based trauma exposure: A pilot study. Journal of Trauma & Dissociation, 19(4), 461–475. Web.