Supporting Student Veterans: Utilizing Game-Based Role-Plays with Virtual Humans to Build Military Cultural Competency and Helping Behaviors in Faculty and Staff

Authors

  • Chris Andrew Cate Student Veterans of America
  • Glenn Albright Baruch College, City University of New York

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.24059/olj.v19i1.485

Keywords:

Student veterans, college staff training, military cultural competency, game-based role-plays

Abstract

Veterans and military service members enter the classroom with valuable life and leadership experience; however, transitioning to student life represents unique challenges. Like the larger veteran population, student veterans may bring to campus the negative aftereffects of their combat experiences in the form of Post-Traumatic Stress, substance abuse, depression, and thoughts of suicide. To better support and retain the nation’s growing number of student veterans, higher-education institutions are beginning to train faculty and staff to more effectively understand and meet the needs of student veteran populations. This study examines the impact of a new and innovative game-based virtual training simulation where users role-play with emotionally responsive virtual student veterans to understand the unique value veterans bring to campus, the obstacles they face in their pursuit of a college degree, effective tactics for managing challenging conversations and the best practices for connecting student veterans exhibiting signs of psychological distress with appropriate support services. Longitudinal data showed significant (p<.01) and sustained increases in learners’ military cultural competency which included knowledge about the common challenges facing the student veterans, and preparedness to manage classroom discussions around veteran sensitive issues and to talk with a student veteran about their military service and if necessary, make a referral to the appropriate campus office. Data also showed significant (p<.01) and sustained increases in gatekeeper skills which included the learners preparedness, likelihood and self efficacy to help a student veteran in psychological distress which resulted in increased referrals to support services.

References

Ackerman, R., DiRamio, D., & Mitchell, R. (2009). Transitions: Combat veterans as college students. New Directions for Student Services, 126, 5-14. DOI: 10.1002/ss.311.

Albright, G. (2013, November). Building the capacity of educators to support primary prevention and early intervention goals with youth at risk for psychological distress. In 141st APHA Annual Meeting (November 2-November 6, 2013). APHA.

Albright, G., Davidson, J, Goldman, R, Shockley, K. & Tommons-Mitchell, J. (2014). Development and Validation of the Gatekeeper Behavior Scale: A Tool to Assess Suicide Prevention Gatekeeper Trainings. Manuscript submitted for review.

Albright, G., Davidson, J., Goldman, R., Shockley, K., Eastgard, S. & Himmel, J. (2014). Utilizing Emotionally Responsive Virtual Human Role-Play Simulations to Train Users to Identify, Talk To and Refer Students in Psychological Distress Including Those At-Risk for Suicide: A Meta-Analysis. Manuscript submitted for publication.

Albright, G., Goldman, R., Shockley, K. M., McDevitt, F., & Akabas, S. (2011). Using an avatar-based simulation to train families to motivate veterans with post-deployment stress to seek help at the VA. Games for Health: Research, Development, and Clinical Applications, 1(1), 21-28. doi:10.1089/g4h.2011.0003.

Armstrong, M. J., Mottershead, T. A., Ronksley, P. E., Sigal, R. J., Campbell, T. S., & Hemmelgarn, B. R. (2011). Motivational interviewing to improve weight loss in overweight and/or obese patients: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials. Obesity reviews, 12(9), 709-723. doi: 10.1111/j.1467-789X.2011.00892.x.

Aseltine Jr, R. H., & DeMartino, R. (2004). An outcome evaluation of the SOS Suicide Prevention Program. American Journal of Public Health, 94(3). doi: 10.2105/AJPH.94.3.446.

Baumeister, R. F., Twenge, J. M., & Nuss, C. K. (2002). Effects of social exclusion on cognitive processes: anticipated aloneness reduces intelligent thought. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 83(4), 817. doi: 10.1037/0022-3514.83.4.817.

Bolte, A., Goschke, T., & Kuhl, J. (2003). Emotion and intuition effects of positive and negative mood on implicit judgments of semantic coherence. Psychological Science, 14(5), 416-421. doi: 10.1111/1467-9280.01456.

Burke, B. L., Arkowitz, H., & Menchola, M. (2003). The efficacy of motivational interviewing: a meta-analysis of controlled clinical trials. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 71(5), 843. doi: 10.1037/0022-006X.71.5.843.

Cross, W., Matthieu, M. M., Lezine, D., & Knox, K. L. (2010). Does a brief suicide prevention gatekeeper training program enhance observed skills?. Crisis: The Journal of Crisis Intervention and Suicide Prevention, 31(3), 149. doi: 10.1027/0227-5910/a000014.

Cross, W. F., Seaburn, D., Gibbs, D., Schmeelk-Cone, K., White, A. M., & Caine, E. D. (2011). Does practice make perfect? A randomized control trial of behavioral rehearsal on suicide prevention gatekeeper skills. The Journal of Primary Prevention, 32(3-4), 195-211. doi: 10.1007/s10935-011-0250-z.

DeStefano, T. J., Mellott, R. N., & Petersen, J. D. (2001). A preliminary assessment of the impact of counseling on student adjustment to college. Journal of College Counseling, 4(2), 113-121.

Duncan, R. D. (2000). Childhood maltreatment and college drop-out rates: Implications for child abuse researchers. Journal of Interpersonal Violence, 15(9), 987-995.

Eden, D., Ganzach, Y., Flumin-Granat, R., & Zigman, T. (2010). Augmenting Means Efficacy to Boost Performance: Two Field Experiments. Journal Of Management, 36(3), 687-713.

Eggert, L. L., Thompson, E. A., Randell, B. P., & Pike, K. C. (2002). Preliminary Effects of Brief School‐Based Prevention Approaches for Reducing Youth Suicide—Risk Behaviors, Depression, and Drug Involvement. Journal of Child and Adolescent Psychiatric Nursing, 15(2), 48-64. doi: 10.1111/j.1744-6171.2002.tb00326.x.

Getzel, E. E. (2008). Addressing the persistence and retention of students with disabilities in higher education: Incorporating key strategies and supports on campus. Exceptionality, 16(4), 207-219.

Heckman, C.J., Egleston, B.L. & Hofmann, M.T. (2010). Efficacy of Motivational Interviewing for Smoking Cessation: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. Tob Control 19, 410-416.

Hoge, C. W., Auchterlonie, J. L., & Milliken, C. S. (2006). Mental health problems, use of mental health services, and attrition from military service after returning from deployment to Iraq or Afghanistan. JAMA: Journal of the American Medical Association, 295(9), 1023-1032.

Isaac, M., Elias, B., Katz, L. Y., Belik, S. L., Deane, F. P., Enns, M. W., & Sareen, J. (2009). Gatekeeper training as a preventative intervention for suicide: a systematic review.

Jensen, C. D., Cushing, C. C., Aylward, B. S., Craig, J. T., Sorell, D. M., & Steele, R. G. (2011). Effectiveness of motivational interviewing interventions for adolescent substance use behavior change: a meta-analytic review. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 79(4), 433. doi: 10.1037/a0023992.

Kalafat, J., & Gagliano, C. (1996). The use of simulations to assess the impact of an adolescent suicide response curriculum. Suicide and Life-Threatening Behavior, 26(4), 359-364. doi: 10.1111/j.1943-278X.

Kiuhara, S. A., & Huefner, D. S. (2008). Students with psychiatric disabilities in higher education settings: The Americans with Disabilities Act and beyond. Journal of Disability Policy Studies, 19(2), 103-113.

Knox, K. L., Litts, D. A., Talcott, G. W., Feig, J. C., & Caine, E. D. (2003). Risk of suicide and related adverse outcomes after exposure to a suicide prevention program in the US Air Force: cohort study. Bmj, 327(7428), 1376. doi: 10.1136/bmj.327.7428.1376.

Kuhlmann, S., Piel, M. & Wolf, O.T. (2005). Impaired Memory Retrieval After Psychosocial Stress in Healthy Young Men. Journal Neuroscience, 25, 2977-2982. doi: 10.1523/JNEUROSCI.5139-04.2005.

Lapierre, C. B., Schwegler, A. F., & LaBauve, B. J. (2007). Posttraumatic stress and depression symptoms in soldiers returning from combat operations in Iraq and Afghanistan. Journal of Traumatic Stress, 20(6), 933-943. DOI: 10.1002/jts.20278.

Lai, D.T., Cahill, K., Qin, Y. & Tang, J.L. (2010). Motivational Interviewing for Smoking Cessation. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, CD006936. doi: 10.1002/14651858.CD006936.pub2.

Lundahl, B., & Burke, B. L. (2009). The effectiveness and applicability of motivational interviewing: A practice‐friendly review of four meta‐analyses. Journal of Clinical Psychology, 65(11), 1232-1245. doi: 10.1002/jclp.20638.

Lupien SJ, Gaudreau S, Tchiteya BM, Maheu F, Sharma S, Nair NP, Hauger RL, McEwen BS, & Meaney MJ. (1997). Stress-induced declarative memory impairment in healthy elderly subjects: relationship to cortisol reactivity. Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism, 82(7):2070-2075. doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.1210/jcem.82.7.4075

Mann, J. J., Apter, A., Bertolote, J., Beautrais, A., Currier, D., Haas, A. & Hendin, H. (2005). Suicide prevention strategies: a systematic review. Jama, 294(16), 2064-2074. doi:10.1001/jama.294.16.2064.

Megivern, D., Pellerito, S., & Mowbray, C. (2003). Barriers to higher education for individuals with psychiatric disabilities. Psychiatric Rehabilitation Journal, 26(3), 217-231.

Miller, W. R. (1983). Motivational interviewing with problem drinkers. Behavioral Psychotherapy, 11(02), 147-172. doi: 10.1017/S0141347300006583.

Miller, W. R., & Rollnick, S. (2012). Motivational interviewing: Helping people change. Guilford Press.

Milliken, C. S., Auchterlonie, J. L., & Hoge, C. W. (2007). Longitudinal assessment of mental health problems among active and reserve component soldiers returning from the Iraq war. JAMA: Journal of the American Medical Association, 298(18), 2141-2148. DOI: 10.1001/jama.298.18.2141.

Nestel, D., & Tierney, T. (2007). Role-play for medical students learning about communication: Guidelines for maximizing benefits. BMC Medical Education, 7(1), 3. doi:10.1186/1472-6920-7-3.

Payne, J., Jackson, E., Ryan, L., Hoscheidt, S., Jacobs, J., & Nadel, L. (2006). The impact of stress on neutral and emotional aspects of episodic memory. Memory, 14(1), 1-16. doi: 10.1080/09658210500139176.

Payne, J. D., Jackson, E. D., Hoscheidt, S., Ryan, L., Jacobs, W. J., & Nadel, L. (2007). Stress administered prior to encoding impairs neutral but enhances emotional long-term episodic memories. Learning & Memory, 14(12), 861-868. doi: 10.1101/lm.743507.

Ramchand, R., Schell, T. L., Karney, B. R., Osilla, K. C., Burns, R. M., & Caldarone, L. B. (2010). Disparate prevalence estimates of PTSD among service members who served in Iraq and Afghanistan: Possible explanations. Journal of Traumatic Stress, 23(1), 59-68. DOI: 10.1002/jts.

Rubak, S., Sandbæk, A., Lauritzen, T., & Christensen, B. (2005). Motivational interviewing: a systematic review and meta-analysis. British Journal of General Practice, 55(513), 305-312.

Ryan, M. L. (2001). Motivational interviewing: a systematic review and meta-analysis. British Journal of General Practice (p. 9). Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press.

Schurtz, D., Cerel, J., & Rodgers, P. (2010). Myths and Facts about Suicide from Individuals Involved in Suicide Prevention. Suicide And Life-Threatening Behavior, 40(4), 346-352. doi:10.1521/suli.2010.40.4.346

Smallwood, J., Fitzgerald, A., Miles, L. K., & Phillips, L. H. (2009). Shifting moods, wandering minds: negative moods lead the mind to wander. Emotion, 9(2), 271. doi: 10.1037/a0014855.

Smyth, J. M., Hockemeyer, J. R., Heron, K. E., Wonderlich, S. A., & Pennebaker, J. W. (2008). Prevalence, type, disclosure, and severity of adverse life events in college students. Journal of American College Health, 57(1), 69-76.

Stevenson, K., & Sander, P. (2002). Medical students are from Mars-business and psychology students are from Venus-University teachers are from Pluto?. Medical Teacher, 24(1), 27-31. doi: 10.1080/00034980120103441.

Thompson, K. M. (2007). Alcohol-related legal infractions and student retention. Journal of Studies on Alcohol and Drugs, 68(5), 689-696.

Turner, A. L., & Berry, T. R. (2000). Counseling center contributions to student retention and graduation: A longitudinal assessment. Journal of College Student Development, 41(6), 627-636.

VanBuskirk, K. A., & Wetherell, J. L. (2013). Motivational interviewing with primary care populations: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Journal of Behavioral Medicine, 1-13. doi: 10.1007/s10865-013-9527-4.

Vasilaki, E. I., Hosier, S. G., & Cox, W. M. (2006). The efficacy of motivational interviewing as a brief intervention for excessive drinking: a meta-analytic review. Alcohol and Alcoholism, 41(3), 328-335. doi: 10.1093/alcalc/agl016.

Wilson, S. B., Mason, T. W., & Ewing, M. J. M. (1997). Evaluating the impact of receiving university-based counseling services on student retention. Journal of Counseling Psychology, 44(3), 316-320

Wyman, P. A., Brown, Hendricks, C., Inman, J. Cross, W., Schmeelk-Cone, K., Guo, J. & Pena, J. B. (2008) Randomized trial of a gatekeeper program for suicide prevention: 1-year impact on secondary school staff. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 0022006X, 2008, Vol. 76, Issue 1. doi: 10.1037/0022-006X.76.1.104.

Downloads

Published

2014-12-11

Issue

Vol. 19 No. 1 (2015)

Section

Military Online Education Research

License

As a condition of publication, the author agrees to apply the Creative Commons – Attribution International 4.0 (CC-BY) License to OLJ articles. See: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/.

This licence allows anyone to reproduce OLJ articles at no cost and without further permission as long as they attribute the author and the journal. This permission includes printing, sharing and other forms of distribution.

Author(s) hold copyright in their work, and retain publishing rights without restrictions