The theatre as therapy for military veterans? Exploring the mechanisms which impact psychosocial well-being and social connections during theatre-based programmes
Abstract: Background: In many countries, performing arts and theatre practices are being employed with Armed Forces Communities. However, very little evidence exists outlining the psychosocial benefits of this practice. Therefore, this study aims to explore the perceived impact of theatre-based programmes on psychosocial well-being, and social connections, of U.K. Military Veterans. Methods: This qualitative study carried out semi-structured interviews with six military veterans who had participated in at least one theatre-based programme. Results: Four themes were generated from this study; providing a purpose, therapeutic storytelling, social connection, and the impact of the programme ending. Conclusions: This study provided unique insight into the benefits of theatre-based programmes on the psychosocial well-being of U.K. military veterans. The programmes were perceived as being beneficial for future employment opportunities, but the ending of these programmes was difficult for some and must be considered alongside provision.
Abstract: Novel and automated means of opioid use and relapse risk detection are needed. Unstructured electronic medical record data, including written progress notes, can be mined for clinically relevant information, including the presence of substance use and relapse-critical markers of risk and recovery from opioid use disorder (OUD). In this study, we used natural language processing (NLP) to automate the extraction of opioid relapses, and the timing of these occurrences, from veteran patients' electronic medical record. We then demonstrated the utility of our NLP tool via analysis of pre-/post-COVID-19 opioid relapse trends among veterans with OUD. For this demonstration, we analyzed data from 107,606 veterans OUD enrolled in Veterans Health Administration, comparing a pandemic-exposed cohort (n = 53,803; January 2019-March 2021) to a matched prepandemic cohort (n = 53,803; October 2017-December 2019). The recall of our NLP tool was 75% and our precision was 94%, demonstrating moderate sensitivity and excellent specificity. Using the NLP tool, we found that the odds of opioid relapse postpandemic onset were proportionally higher compared to prepandemic trends, despite patients having fewer mental health encounters from which to derive instances of relapse postpandemic onset. In this research application of the tool, and as hypothesized, we found that opioid relapse risk was elevated postpandemic. The application of NLP Methods: to identify and monitor relapse risk holds promise for future surveillance, risk prevention, and clinical outcome research.