Combat exposure undermines student veterans' achievement of a meaningful life through its association with health-related symptoms: A longitudinal study

Objective: To understand whether symptoms of health conditions explain the negative association between combat exposure and student Veterans' achievement of a meaningful life. Participants: 153 combat Veterans enrolled in college between November 2013 and April 2018. Methods: Through an online survey, participants reported combat exposure, health status (symptoms of conditions such as depression), and aspects of a meaningful life (belonging, self-understanding, and doing) at two time points. Path analysis was used to explore whether baseline health status mediated the relationship between combat exposure and belonging, self-understanding, and doing at follow-up. Results: Indirect effects indicated that the negative influence of combat on student Veterans' sense of belonging, self-understanding, and doing at follow-up was mediated by poor health at baseline. Conclusions: Combat exposure may contribute to the development of health conditions, which in turn limit student Veterans' experience of three aspects of a meaningful life: a sense of belonging, self-understanding, and doing.