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A Systems Thinking Approach to Formulating the Problem of Military Sexual Trauma Among Black Female Veterans

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A Systems Thinking Approach to Formulating the Problem of Military Sexual Trauma Among Black Female Veterans Thomas Jefferson University Jefferson Digital Commons Theses & Dissertations Jefferson Electronic Theses and Dissertations 2021 A Systems Thinking Approach to Formulating the Problem of Military Sexual Trauma Among Black Female Veterans Paula Smith-Benson Follow this and additional works at: https://jdc.jefferson.edu/diss_masters Part of the Leadership Studies Commons, and the Military and Veterans Studies Commons This Article is brought to you for free and open access by the Jefferson Digital Commons. The Jefferson Digital Commons is a service of Thomas Jefferson University's Center for Teaching and Learning (CTL). The Commons is a showcase for Jefferson books and journals, peer-reviewed scholarly publications, unique historical collections from the University archives, and teaching tools. The Jefferson Digital Commons allows researchers and interested readers anywhere in the world to learn about and keep up to date with Jefferson scholarship. This article has been accepted for inclusion in Theses & Dissertations by an authorized administrator of the Jefferson Digital Commons. For more information, please contact: [email protected]. A SYSTEMS THINKING APPROACH TO FORMULATING THE PROBLEM OF MILITARY SEXUAL TRAUMA AMONG BLACK FEMALE VETERANS by Paula A. Smith-Benson A dissertation submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Management in Strategic Leadership at THOMAS JEFFERSON UNIVERSITY 2021 A SYSTEMS THINKING APPROACH TO FORMULATING THE PROBLEM OF MILITARY SEXUAL TRAUMA AMONG BLACK FEMALE VETERANS Paula A. Smith-Benson Doctoral Dissertation Committee Approval: ___________________________________________________________ John Pourdehnad, Ph.D., Adviser Date ___________________________________________________________ Larry M. Starr, Ph.D., Internal Reader Date ___________________________________________________________ Nancy Isserman, Ph.D., External Reader Date © Paula Smith-Benson 2021 ALL RIGHTS RESERVED MILITARY SEXUAL TRAUMA AMONG BLACK FEMALE VETERANS i ABSTRACT Minority veterans are one of the fastest growing veteran populations (Department of Veterans Affairs, 2020b). Research over the last fifty years has documented that minority veterans, especially Black female veterans, are at a disproportionate risk for many problems, such as suicide and military sexual trauma (MST) (Department of Veterans Affairs, 2020b). In order to adequately address problems faced by the Black female veteran population, I argue that the problem must first be adequately formulated by the veteran community and veteran leadership. In this dissertation, I review the current body of literature on military sexual trauma with a systems view, using Daniel Kim’s (1999) iceberg model as a template. After developing a deeper understanding of the current reality from literature, I adopted Dave Snowden and Mary Boone’s (2007) Cynefin framework to include the sensing and probing by Black female veterans in order for military and veteran leadership to make sense of and respond to complex problems that Black female veterans experience. I conclude that the Black female veterans must be incorporated as decision-makers, advisors, participants, and resources in order to more adequately formulate and address the problems they experience, such as suicide and military sexual trauma. DEDICATION MILITARY SEXUAL TRAUMA AMONG BLACK FEMALE VETERANS ii “Wisdom is the principal thing; Therefore, get wisdom. And in all thy getting; get understanding” Proverbs 4:7 This dissertation is dedicated to the memory of my parents, Edith and Robert Benson. They stressed the importance of academic excellence as far back as I can remember. Without them, there would not have been this relentless pursuit of knowledge, wisdom, and understanding. To my wife, Aronda Smith-Benson, thank you for the love, support, and expertise in organizational development that ultimately led me to discover this amazing world of systems thinking—I love you more than butterflies. Last, I dedicate this dissertation to all of the African American female veterans who endured and survived military sexual trauma. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS MILITARY SEXUAL TRAUMA AMONG BLACK FEMALE VETERANS iii First of all, I acknowledge that I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me— Philippians 4: 13. I am grateful for the members of my dissertation committee: Dr. John Pourdehnad, Dr. Larry Starr, and Dr. Nancy Isserman To Neddie Jeanette Palmer-Briscoe and Dr. Audry Harris—I thank God for you. You were with me from beginning to end. You listened to me, you loved me, and you believed in me. To Dr. Willametta Simmons, Megan Farley, LCSW, Catherine Resnick, LCSW, Dr. E Cabrina Campbell, MD—thank you. You held on to hope when I was hopeless and you provided help when I felt helpless. You saw me, you heard me, you cared, and you reminded me that I mattered. To my son Chandler Jacobs, my daughter Kendall Reynolds and my granddaughter, Mckenzee Anne Maria Jackson, and a host of family and friends: There are no words that will ever be able to express what I feel in my heart for each of you. TABLE OF CONTENTS MILITARY SEXUAL TRAUMA AMONG BLACK FEMALE VETERANS iv ABSTRACT .................................................................................................................................... i DEDICATION............................................................................................................................... ii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ........................................................................................................ iii LIST OF FIGURES ..................................................................................................................... vi LIST OF TABLES ...................................................................................................................... vii CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION .................................................................................................1 Defining Military Sexual Trauma (MST) ............................................................................1 Operational Definitions ........................................................................................................2 Formulating Problems ..........................................................................................................3 Wicked Problems .................................................................................................................3 MST as a Wicked Problem ..................................................................................................4 Example of the Problem.......................................................................................................6 Description of the Problem ..................................................................................................8 How veteran leadership knows the world and their approach to solving ................8 the problem Authority and power approach with heuristics ............................................9 Evidence-based approaches .......................................................................10 Reductionism .............................................................................................12 The domain problem ..............................................................................................15 Complex evolving systems ........................................................................15 Mess formulation .......................................................................................16 Situational awareness and analysis ............................................................16 Sensemaking ..............................................................................................18 The Cynefin framework .............................................................................18 A VUCA environment ...........................................................................................21 Type III Error: The Result of Inadequately Formulating the Wicked Problem .................22 Military Sexual Trauma (MST) .........................................................................................23 Purpose of the Study: Raison d'être ...................................................................................25 Case report .........................................................................................................................26 Organization of the Dissertation ........................................................................................29 CHAPTER 2: LITERATURE REVIEW ..................................................................................31 Who believes this is a problem? ........................................................................................32 Who is tasked with solving the problem? ..........................................................................32 About the literature review ................................................................................................33 Using the iceberg model to template the literature review ................................................34 Mental models ........................................................................................................37 Underlying structures: Systemic factors ................................................................38 MILITARY SEXUAL TRAUMA AMONG BLACK FEMALE VETERANS v History of Servicewomen ..........................................................................39
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