THE BIOPSYCHOSOCIAL-SPIRITUAL HEALTH OF ACTIVE DUTY WOMEN: SERVICE MEMBERS IN NEED OF SERVICE

Abstract

Given the growing number of women who serve in the military, it is critical that mental health clinicians, medical providers, researchers, and policy makers are aware of the unique biological, psychological, social, and spiritual health concerns of active duty women. A holistic approach to health and health care recognizes that the mind, body, and spirit are all relevant in the context of health and illness and thus essential to determining readiness and fit for duty. While the health of women veterans has received some attention in the research, a chasm exists in the literature on the biopsychosocial-spiritual (BPSS) health of active duty women. This dissertation includes six chapters, comprising an introduction to the dissertation, a literature review on active duty women's biopsychosocial-spiritual health, two publishable manuscripts: (a) a systematic review of research published on the BPSS health of active duty women, and (b) an empirical research study on the BPSS health experiences of active duty women, and a discussion chapter that offers future clinical, research, and policy implication to better serve this population.