Dear Readers:
I would like to thank all of our IARP editorial board members and contributors for their insightful manuscripts, reviews and recommendations for vocational rehabilitation practice shared in this edition of the Rehabilitation Professional. I would also like to thank the Editorial Board for all their efforts over the years and assisting with the review of several manuscripts to create this edition of the Rehabilitation Professional.
We appreciate the work of Joni Dolce, Amy Banko, Jill Valiant, Mandeiya Nuhu-Sulemana, Ni Gao, Amandalynn Salzman, and Madeline Rodriguez for their article that explores utilizing the Exploration, Preparation, Implementation, and Sustainment (EPIS) model to support the adoption of career services, which has positively impacted staff capacity to provide employment and education support, as well as improving outcomes.
The second article by Lee Ann Rawlins Williams, Unprepared and Overlooked: Strengthening Disaster Readiness in Vocational Rehabilitation, presents findings from an informal, practice-focused poll of 150 VR counselors working in public and private settings. The article provides practice-based recommendations to strengthen disaster readiness through professional training, organizational planning, client engagement, and interdisciplinary collaboration for VR professionals.
Our third article for this edition is from Kayla Lucena-Glass who completed a pilot study, Assessing the Need for Standardized Depression Screening in Geriatric Inpatient Rehabilitation. Eighty-nine patients were assessed using the widely accepted 15-item Geriatric Depression Score (GDS). Comparisons of the total positive screens to the proportion expected were made using a binomial analysis. The reliability of the results was examined using chi-square analysis. The pilot study results determined the significance of depression screening in the geriatric acute inpatient rehabilitation population. The rehabilitation population aged ≥ 65 years is at risk for depression. Standardized depression screening can help identify those at risk, affecting possible treatment and monitoring.
Finally, thank you to Antonio Reyes, Fatima Akmal Leghari, Teresa Granger, and Emre Umucu, for their research: A Cross-sectional Study of Resilience and Well-being as Mediators for Sleep Disturbance and College Life Adjustment Among Student Veterans. This study examines the relationships between sleep disturbance, resilience, well-being, and adjustment to college life for student veterans. Participants were 205 student Veterans from universities across the United States. A correlational analysis found that sleep disturbance was negatively correlated with resilience, well-being, and college life adjustment. Resilience was positively correlated with well-being and college life adjustment. Well-being was positively correlated with college life adjustment. A serial mediation analysis revealed a significant indirect effect of sleep disturbance on college life adjustment. The study highlights the negative impact of sleep problems on resilience, well-being, and college adjustment. The findings support that addressing sleep disturbance is crucial for supporting the successful transition and academic achievement of student veterans.
We hope you find this issue informative and useful for your professional practice. I look forward to serving IARP over the next two years and thank you for your ongoing support of our IARP journals.
Sincerely,
Scott Beveridge, Editor-in-Chief