Identifying psychological outcomes in families of Five Eyes alliance armed forces Veterans: A systematic review

Abstract

LAY SUMMARY Military service can affect the psychological health and well-being of ex-service members and their families. Most research prioritizes active duty families or Veterans, with spouses/intimate partners and adult children of Veterans often overlooked. This study reviewed all previous research on the psychological health of Veteran families within the Five Eyes alliance countries of Australia, Canada, New Zealand, the United Kingdom, and the United States. It found spouses/intimate partners had higher rates of anxiety, depression, and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) compared to national rates and were more likely to feel distress when their Veteran partner had mental health issues. Adult children were at higher risk for anxiety, depression, alcohol/substance misuse, and PTSD compared to national rates. Four themes identified were: personal feelings and internal emotions, Veteran-oriented, help and support, and acting as a unit. Due to the scarce available research, further studies are needed to address psychological outcomes among military Veteran families.

A qualitative exploration of the physical and psychological wellbeing of family carers of veterans in Australia

“…Family carers with higher resilience were demonstrated to have greater fitness capacity. The psychological impact of service for partners and children of veterans has been reported in other research, and most recently summarised in a systematic review by Armour et al [ 24 ].…”

“…Whether the impact on the children of the family carers in our study is directly associated with the individual veteran’s service or is a reflection of the level of mental ill health within the general population cannot be verified and should be investigated further. Regardless, previous research has demonstrated the impact of service on family members [ 24 , 29 , 30 ]. In dealing with this trauma, it would seem that family carers in this study have difficulty in accessing mental health services provided for veterans and their families, and that the costs associated with private mental health services as an alternative are prohibitive; an issue also faced by the wider community.…”

Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the mental health and well-being of Veterans’ spouses: a cross sectional analysis

“…While not every Veteran experiences mental or physical difficulties as a result of their service, for those who do, their spouses often serve as caretakers and the main support for both the Veteran and their families, which can subsequently lead to increased stress and risk of burnout for the spouses [ 14 , 15 ]. To date, research evaluating the mental health of Veterans’ spouses has predominantly focused on how the spouse’s health is affected by their active-duty service member being away on deployment/stationed away from their families, or by the presence of physical and mental health challenges in the Veteran [ 16 ]. Thus, research has been conducted through a Veteran-focussed lens.…”

Mediating role of dyadic satisfaction on social support and health outcomes in a sample of military family care-givers

“…4 Recent research on Veteran families from Australia, Canada, New Zealand, the United Kingdom, and the United States has found that spouses and partners reported high rates of mental health problems and high distress when Veteran partners had mental health problems. 5,6 Moreover, research has indicated that caring for a spouse or partner can have a negative effect on a relationship, leading to mental and physical health problems for the caregiver. 7,8 Some of the physical and psychological costs of caregiving can be mitigated by effective programs addressing the needs of caregivers.…”