A Correlation between Effective Communication and Authentic Leadership and Its Impact on Trauma Informed Recovery for Homeless Veterans

By

TABLE OF CONTENTS

CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION1

Background of the Study1

Purpose of the Study2

Problem Statement2

Rationale of the Study2

Aims and Objectives3

Research Questions3

Hypothesis3

Variables4

Independent Variable (IV)4

Dependent Variable (DV)4

Ethical Concerns5

CHAPTER 2: LITERATURE REVIEW6

Homeless6

Trauma6

Trauma and Homelessness Veterans7

Leadership8

Authentic leadership as a tool for trauma treatment9

Approach, more than a quality9

Challenges Faced by Authentic Leader for Creating Motivation10

Effective communication11

Effective communication as treatment plan11

Trauma Recovery: Influence of Leadership and Effective communication12

How to Heal the Wounds Caused By Trauma13

Correlation between Effective Communication and Leadership14

CHAPTER 3: METHODOLOGY16

Research Design16

Research Approach16

Instrument and Measures17

Sample Selection18

Data Collection Strategy:18

Likert Scale19

Procedure19

Confidentiality20

Reliability and Validity20

REFERENCES21

CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION

Background of the Study

Homelessness has become a national tragedy that affects individuals and families throughout the United States, including an increasingly large number of women and children (Goodman, Saxe, & Harvey, 1991). According to the Urban Institute, findings from the National Survey of Homeless Assistance Providers indicate that between 2.3 and 3.5 million people are homeless in a given year in the United States (as cited in the National Coalition on Homelessness, 2002). During one week in 1988, Burt and Cohen (1989) estimated that there were approximately 500,000 to 600,000 homeless people living in shelters, eating at soup kitchens, or congregating on the streets in the United States.

Using a conservative projected rate of increase of 5% a year (based on estimated annual growth in the homeless population and increases in the general population) it is estimated that there are currently well over 700,000 people homeless on any given night and up to 2 million people who experience homelessness during any one-year period (National Law Center on Homelessness and Poverty, 1999).

The Clinton Administration, using data gathered by Link et al. (1994) estimated that between 4.95 million and 9.32 million people experienced homelessness at some point in their lives during the latter half of the 1980s (as cited in National Coalition for the Homeless, 1999). Of this population, approximately 38% to 40% of homeless men are veterans and on any given night it is estimated that approximately 271,000 veterans are homeless (National Coalition on Homelessness 2000).

Purpose of the Study

The purpose of the study is to determine the correlation between effective communication and authentic leadership and its impact on trauma informed recovery for homeless Veterans.

Problem Statement

Trauma is not only prevalent among the homeless population, but it is correlated with a host of other psychiatric and psychosocial variables that significantly impair these individuals ability to adequately function in society. Furthermore, it is the contention of this papers that exposure to trauma and the presence of PTSD can be such a disruptive force in an individuals' life, that it places them at higher risk for homelessness.

Rationale of the Study

There is no question that the experience of one or more traumatic events has a profound impact on an individual's psychosocial and psychological functioning. It is not uncommon for some individuals to suffer from stress response symptoms for the duration of their lives. Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is an anxiety disorder that can ...