Date of Conferral

9-10-2026

Date of Award

September 2026

Degree

Ph.D.

School

Human Services

Advisor

Gregory Hickman

Abstract

For many women leaving military service, the path to civilian life involves a fundamental renegotiation of identity. Gender-specific pressures, institutional norms, and fractured belonging compound reintegration, yet the lived experiences of women veterans navigating competing identities remain underexplored. The purpose of this phenomenological study was to understand the lived experiences of women veterans at least 5 years postdischarge who struggled with identity dissonance between their military and civilian identities. The study was informed by reculturation theory. Seven women veterans participated in semistructured interviews, and data were analyzed using Braun and Clarke’s thematic analysis, revealing five themes: institutions, culture, and unequal systems; adaptive change processes; sense of loss; belonging processes; and emotional tension and meaning. Findings indicate that participants’ sense of self was gradually reshaped through immersion in military culture and the work of rebuilding in unfamiliar civilian environments. Mental health challenges were interwoven with identity shifts, and military-acquired adaptive strategies proved limiting in civilian settings. Participants described meaningful growth and identity integration through community engagement and activism. Positive social change implications include informing health care professionals and transition assistance programmers of the critical need for relationally grounded, gender-informed support structures. This study also marks the first known empirical use of reculturation theory with a women veteran population, extending its theoretical reach and offering a foundation for future inquiry.

Download

Share

 
COinS