The problem of homelessness often affects the most vulnerable segments of society, one of them is veterans. This particular group also experiences significant issues concerning excessive alcohol consumption and drug addiction, which entail detrimental consequences for their health and ability to return to normal life. Several researchers have studied the problem of substance abuse among homeless veterans, and relevant findings have been produced. Iheanacho et al. (2018) conducted an extensive study among more than two hundred thousand veterans registered in the Veterans Health Organization. According to the results,34.6% of veterans with opioid use disorder were homeless. They were also more prone to be infected with HIV in comparison with those who had a place to live (Iheanacho et al., 2018). Thus, this study provides data which is necessary for understanding the scale of the problem.
Additionally, there are also the articles which contain veteran’s self-reported information on the topic of their homelessness and their relations with various harmful substances. Dunne et al. (2015) conducted a survey and found that more than 17% of veterans referred to alcohol and drugs as the primary cause of their homeless status. Sestito et al. (2017) interviewed twenty homeless veterans, three of whom called their military service the factor which contributed to their substance abuse problem. While the aforementioned articles contain valuable information, its amount is still insufficient for developing the policies to tackle the problem in question. There is still a gap concerning the most prevalent temporal order between homelessness and substance abuse, as well as the role of military service in developing addiction and the degree of social support. Therefore, the most appropriate next step in this area would be conducting a qualitative study which would collect and analyze the information about substance abuse among homeless veterans in their natural setting.
Purpose Statement and Research Question
The purpose of this qualitative study is to explore the experience of substance abuse in homeless veterans. The problem of addictions has been thoroughly studied using the quantitative approach, which has yielded important statistical data on the number of people who struggle with this issue. The qualitative method provides an opportunity to learn more about people’s personal experiences with substance abuse. The fact that the study will be based on collecting self-reported accounts of the participants and the researcher’s task will be to analyze them ensures that it is consistent with constructivist epistemology and ontology. The naturalistic setting will play a major role in the process of conducting this qualitative research since it will serve as the main environment for finding subjects and inviting them to participate in the study.
The problem of substance abuse among veterans interests me both as a researcher and a person who is concerned about the health and wellbeing of this group of people. I will apply reflexivity at every stage of the research process to ensure that the study remains objective and impartial. On the other hand, there is a risk of potential bias on the part of the participants since the study will utilize the self-report method. For example, some respondents may not answer the questions honestly due to the social desirability bias, which, nevertheless, will be addressed with an appropriate study design. The primary sources of data will be homeless veterans with the substance abuse problem who will be interviewed in the settings which are most populated by them, for example, streets and parks. The study will rely on the following research question: What is the experience of substance abuse in homeless veterans?
Annotated Bibliography
The number of studies concerning the problem of substance abuse among homeless veterans is limited, yet there are several ones which can be considered relevant and recent. The sources which have been identified during the research both focus on medical aspects of the issue and provide considerable insight into the veteran’s personal experiences. Thus, all of the articles chosen to be presented below bear significance for the current study.
Dunne, E. M., Burrell, L. E., Diggins, A. D., Whitehead, N. E., & Latimer, W. W. (2015). Increased risk for substance use and health-related problems among homeless veterans. The American Journal on Addictions, 24(7), 676–680. Web.
The article is dedicated to the results of a study which was conducted to establish the factors behind homelessness among veterans and people without a military background. The findings show that veterans tend to reference alcohol and drug problems as the main cause of their homeless status more often than nonveterans. This article is useful for the current study since it demonstrates that substance abuse can be a serious factor contributing to homelessness.
Iheanacho, T., Stefanovics, E., & Rosenheck, R. (2018). Opioid use disorder and homelessness in the Veterans Health Administration: The challenge of multimorbidity. Journal of Opioid Management, 14(13), 171–182. Web.
This article documents the process and the results of a large study which assessed the prevalence and sociodemographic aspects of opioid use disorder (OUD) among homeless veterans in the U.S. The researchers discovered that 34.6% of veterans who had OUD were homeless and were at a greater risk of having alcohol use disorder and HIV. The article provides important information on the scale of the problem of substance abuse and demonstrates its consequences for the aforementioned demographic.
Sestito, S. F., Rodriguez, K. L., Saba, S. K., Conley, J. W., Mitchell, M. A., & Gordon, A. J. (2017). Homeless veterans’ experiences with substance use, recovery, and treatment through photo elicitation. Substance Abuse, 38(4), 422–431. Web.
The primary topic of the article concerns the utilization of the photo elicitation method, which implied interviewing homeless veterans. Their accounts of substance use are relevant for the current study since they expand understanding of the problem. For example, three subjects reported that their substance abuse issues developed as a direct result of their military service. This information is vital for understanding the link and relationship between the problem of addiction and service in the armed forces.
References
Dunne, E. M., Burrell, L. E., Diggins, A. D., Whitehead, N. E., & Latimer, W. W. (2015). Increased risk for substance use and health-related problems among homeless veterans. The American Journal on Addictions, 24(7), 676–680. Web.
Iheanacho, T., Stefanovics, E., & Rosenheck, R. (2018). Opioid use disorder and homelessness in the Veterans Health Administration: The challenge of multimorbidity. Journal of Opioid Management, 14(13), 171–182. Web.
Sestito, S. F., Rodriguez, K. L., Saba, S. K., Conley, J. W., Mitchell, M. A., & Gordon, A. J. (2017). Homeless veterans’ experiences with substance use, recovery, and treatment through photo elicitation. Substance Abuse, 38(4), 422–431. Web.