“Vets Restoring Vets”: A Community-Based Participatory Assessment of Operation Combat Bikesaver’s Innovative Veteran-Led Peer Support Program

Keywords: Community Based Participatory Research, Depression, Mental Health, Peer Support, Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, Social Support, Veterans, Traumatic Brain Injury

Abstract

Introduction

Military Veterans disproportionately experience mental health issues due to unique service-related experiences. Peer and social support interventions have shown promise in improving Veterans’ mental health alongside clinical mental health interventions yet there are limited studies on Veteran-designed and Veteran–led peer or social support interventions. This study explored the perceptions and experiences of Veterans participating in an innovative Veteran-designed and Veteran-led peer and social support program. It was a preliminary study in a long-term Community Based Participatory Research partnership between Indiana University School of Medicine-Northwest regional campus and Operation Combat Bikesaver (OCB).

Methods 

This mixed methods study utilized a limited dataset from pre-and-post-session surveys collected by OCB between September 2019 and August 2021. We examined pre-post differences in participants’ self-rated “feelings” (i.e., emotional state) with the following independent variables through Linear Mixed Models in SPSS: OCB location, OCB event attended, day of the week, time of day, duration of attendance, frequency of attendance, and social assistance. We analyzed participants’ qualitative OCB experiences using inductive thematic analysis in Dedoose.  This study was reviewed and exempted by The Indiana University Human Research Protection Program (Protocol # 12499) on August 16, 2021.

Results 

A total of 128 participants completed pre-post surveys for 746 OCB sessions. There was a statistically significant pre-post session increase in participants’ feelings (mean=34.6; SD=21.7; p<0.001), with increasing effects by duration (p=0.002) in an OCB session. There was no linear trend in individual pre-and-post session changes in feelings over time. The following themes describe participants’ OCB experiences: sense of purpose and meaning, regaining comradery and brotherhood, “Vets restoring Vets,” satisfaction with OCB structure and processes, and experiencing OCB impacts.

Conclusions 

Convening Veterans with shared experiences around innovative and supportive social activities may develop their perceived sense of purpose, belonging, and mutual support and produce improvements in perceived mental health. Future research within this community-regional medical campus research partnership will explore jointly determined research questions to follow-up on the main findings and limitations of the current study.

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Author Biographies

Cody C. Stewart, Indiana University School of Medicine-Northwest; University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health

Captain, Indiana Army Reserve National Guard; General Surgery Resident, University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health; 4^th year Medical Student at the time of writing, Indiana University School of Medicine-Northwest, 3400 Broadway, Gary, Indiana 46408

Baraka Muvuka, Indiana University School of Medicine-Northwest

Director of Research, Assistant Professor of Clinical Family Medicine, Indiana University School of Medicine-Northwest, 3400 Broadway, Gary, Indiana 46408;

Will Hutwagner, Indiana University School of Medicine-Northwest

2^nd Lieutenant, US Army, Health Professions Scholarship Program; 2^nd Year Medical Student (1^st Year at the time of writing), Indiana University School of Medicine-Northwest, 3400 Broadway, Gary, Indiana 46408

Hunter McCollum, Indiana University School of Medicine-Northwest

2^nd Lieutenant, US Air Force, Health Professions Scholarship Program; 3^rd Year Medical Student (2^nd Year at the time of writing), Indiana University School of Medicine-Northwest, 3400 Broadway, Gary, Indiana 46408

William K. Dyer, Indiana University School of Medicine-Northwest

2^nd Lieutenant in the US Air Force, Health Professions Scholarship Program; 4^th Year Medical Student (3^rd Year at the time of writing), Indiana University School of Medicine-Northwest, 3400 Broadway, Gary, Indiana 46408

Elizabeth R. Ryan, Indiana University School of Medicine-Northwest

Associate Dean and Center Director, Northwest Campus and Professor of Clinical Family Medicine, Indiana University School of Medicine-Northwest, 3400 Broadway, Gary, Indiana 46408

Journal of Regional Medical Campuses

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