title: Military to civilian questionnaire: a measure of postdeployment community reintegration difficulty among veterans using Department of Veterans Affairs medical care.
abstract: The primary objective of this study was to describe the development, reliability, and construct validity of scores on the Military to Civilian Questionnaire (M2C-Q), a 16-item self-report measure of postdeployment community reintegration difficulty. We surveyed a national, stratified sample of 1,226 Iraq and Afghanistan veterans who used U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) medical care; 745 completed the M2C-Q and validated mental health screening measures. All analyses were based on weighted estimates. The internal consistency of the M2C-Q was .95 in this sample. Factor analyses indicated a single total score was the best-fitting model. Total scores were associated with measures theoretically related to reintegration difficulties including perception of overall difficulty readjusting back into civilian life (R(2)  = .49), probable PTSD (d = 1.07), probable problem drug or alcohol use (d = 0.34), and overall mental health (r = -.83). Subgroup analyses revealed a similar pattern of findings in those who screened negative for PTSD. Nonwhite and unemployed veterans reported greater community reintegration difficulty (d = 0.20 and 0.45, respectively). Findings offer preliminary support for the reliability and construct validity of M2C-Q scores.
authors.affiliation: Center for Chronic Disease Outcomes Research, Minneapolis VA Health Care System, One Veterans Drive, Minneapolis, Minnesota 55417, USA. nina.sayer@va.gov
authors.forename: Nina A
authors.initials: NA
authors.lastname: Sayer
authors.forename: Patricia
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Frazier
authors.forename: Robert J
authors.initials: RJ
authors.lastname: Orazem
authors.forename: Maureen
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Murdoch
authors.forename: Amy
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Gravely
authors.forename: Kathleen F
authors.initials: KF
authors.lastname: Carlson
authors.forename: Samuel
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Hintz
authors.forename: Siamak
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Noorbaloochi
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D055826:Afghan Campaign 2001-; D005163:Factor Analysis, Statistical; D005260:Female; D006787:Hospitals, Veterans; D006801:Humans; D054542:Iraq War, 2003-2011; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012917:Social Adjustment; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014481:United States; D014493:United States Department of Veterans Affairs; D014728:Veterans / Q000523:psychology*; D055815:Young Adult