Public Health Sciences, College of Health Sciences, The University of Texas at El Paso, El Paso, TX, United States.
South Texas VA Medical Center, San Antonio, TX, United States.
Front Public Health. 2024 Nov 1;12:1500659. doi: 10.3389/fpubh.2024.1500659. eCollection 2024.
Military veterans residing in rural areas face unique challenges that can impact their wellbeing, including limited access to healthcare resources, social isolation, and distinct environmental stressors. Despite growing interest in veteran wellbeing, there remains a gap in understanding how service-connected disabilities and health conditions intersect with wellbeing in rural contexts.
This study employed a comprehensive approach to investigate the relationships between wellbeing, service-connected disabilities, and health outcomes among rural veterans. First, a short version of the PERMA Profiler was psychometrically validated for use among rural veterans. Then, associations between wellbeing and mental/physical health outcomes were examined. Lastly, differences in wellbeing between veterans with and without service-connected disabilities were evaluated.
The psychometric validation of the short-form PERMA Profiler yielded robust results, establishing its reliability and validity for assessing wellbeing among rural veterans. Significant positive associations were found between wellbeing and mental/physical health outcomes. Moreover, rural veterans with service-connected disabilities exhibited lower wellbeing scores compared to those without such disabilities.
This study enhances our understanding of wellbeing among rural veterans, emphasizing the importance of considering service-connected disabilities and health conditions. The findings underscore the need for targeted interventions and support systems tailored to the specific needs of rural veterans, particularly those with service-connected disabilities. Recognizing and addressing these factors are crucial steps toward enhancing the overall wellbeing of this population.
居住在农村地区的退伍军人面临着独特的挑战，这些挑战可能会影响他们的幸福感，包括获得医疗资源的机会有限、社会孤立和独特的环境压力。尽管人们对退伍军人的幸福感越来越感兴趣，但对于服务相关残疾和健康状况如何与农村环境中的幸福感相互作用，仍存在理解上的差距。
本研究采用综合方法调查了农村退伍军人幸福感、服务相关残疾和健康结果之间的关系。首先，对 PERMA Profiler 的简短版本进行了心理测量验证，以用于农村退伍军人。然后，检查了幸福感与心理健康/身体健康结果之间的关联。最后，评估了有和没有服务相关残疾的退伍军人之间的幸福感差异。
简短版 PERMA Profiler 的心理测量验证产生了可靠的结果，为评估农村退伍军人的幸福感确立了其可靠性和有效性。幸福感与心理健康/身体健康结果之间存在显著的正相关关系。此外，与没有此类残疾的退伍军人相比，有服务相关残疾的农村退伍军人的幸福感得分较低。
本研究增强了我们对农村退伍军人幸福感的理解，强调了考虑服务相关残疾和健康状况的重要性。研究结果强调了需要针对农村退伍军人，特别是那些有服务相关残疾的退伍军人的特定需求制定有针对性的干预措施和支持系统。认识和解决这些因素是提高这一人群整体幸福感的关键步骤。
