Qualitative Study Examining the College Experiences and Coping Mechanisms of Post-9/11 Student Veterans Conducted During the COVID-19 Pandemic

The use of avoidance coping strategies by individuals to decrease stressors and minimize negative consequences can lead to stress generation and maladaptive forms of social functioning. In student veterans, avoidant coping has been associated with increased symptoms of generalized anxiety disorder and posttraumatic stress disorder. Literature has suggested that post-9/11 student veterans tend to default to avoidance coping strategies when they face academic problems and social difficulties since maladaptive patterns of social functioning can have a significant negative impact on the postsecondary education of returning veterans. It is possible that the academic underperformance and higher dropout rates of post-9/11 student veterans could be associated with their utilization of avoidance coping strategies. While the amount of research into veteran transitions has increased in the past 10 years, little has been revealed about the lived college experiences of post-9/11 student veterans and their coping behaviors. This study aimed to examine the lived experiences, academic challenges, social struggles, and coping strategies of post-9/11 student veterans. More specifically, I examined their coping strategies as they attempted to overcome challenges during their first year of college after separating from the military. All nine participants were enrolled at the same large, Midwestern, public research university. The participants were between the ages of 23 and 43 years old and included post-9/11 veterans that were true first-time, undergraduate students with previous college credit. Participant responses yielded four predominant themes: (a) lack of identification as veterans, (b) an absence of relationships with other veterans, (c) participants used positive coping approaches, and (d) avoidance and negative coping approaches. Because the study was conducted during the COVID-19 pandemic, the possible impact of pandemic isolation on the participants must be acknowledged.