VETERAN STUDENTS\u27 NEEDS ASSESSMENT

Military service members are a subpopulation of the postsecondary student body. Many service members report symptoms of depression and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Yet, practical and stigma-related barriers prevent these service members from seeking treatment, often when treatment services are available as part of post-enlistment benefits. Using a variety of surveys, the present thesis assessed the demographics, self-reported symptoms of PTSD and depression, perceptions of treatment, and treatment utilization among military-affiliated students on a postsecondary campus. Correlational analyses revealed that severity of PTSD and depression symptoms were positively correlated with overall treatment utilization. However, practical and stigma-related barriers were not significantly associated with treatment utilization. Multiple regression analyses revealed that stigma-related and practical barriers did not moderate the relationship between symptoms of PTSD or depressive symptoms and treatment utilization. Post-hoc analyses showed a positive correlation between reported practical barriers and on-campus treatment utilization, and also revealed that on-campus treatment utilization was positively correlated with overall treatment utilization and positively correlated with utilization of community-based health services. The impact of these findings is discussed