https://aub.ie/MilitaryREACH-Norris2022

Norris, D., Cramm, H., Wynia Baluk, K., Schwartz, K. D., & Whelan, J. (2022). Cultivating family resiliency in the context of the military to civilian transition and mental health problems. Journal of Military & Veterans’ Health, 30(3), 49-55. https://jmvh.org/article/cultivating-family-resiliency-in-the-context-of-the-military-to-civilian-transition-and-mental-health-problems/

This qualitative study explored how intimate partners of Canadian Air Force Veterans fostered family resiliency (defined as the ability to overcome life stressors and challenges) while managing their Veteran partners’ mental health during the military-to-civilian transition. Guided by ecological systems theory, which emphasizes that individuals are located in nested “levels” of the environment (e.g., couple relationships, peer groups, economic conditions), interviews with 6 women partners of Veterans were analyzed for themes related to the cultivation of resiliency while managing mental health challenges. 6 themes emerged: family loyalty, self-care, communication and problem-solving capacities, perspective taking, and informal and formal social supports.

Mental health
Veterans
Couples

International Military

Veteran

Veteran
Spouse of service member or veteran

Adulthood (18 yrs & older)
Thirties (30 - 39 yrs)
Middle age (40 - 64 yrs)

Qualitative Study
Secondary Analysis

Norris, D., Cramm, Heidi, Wynia Baluk, K., Schwartz, K. D., Whelan, J.

Relinquishing military employment has the potential to be a life transition laden with emotional, financial, relational and physical stressors for Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) families.1-2 This article explores how intimate partners of CAF veterans who have operational service in Atlantic Canada and live with a mental health problem cultivate family resiliency during the military to civilian transition (MCT). MCT refers to the period when military members begin the process of adjusting to civilian ways of life after release from service.3 During this transition, veterans must reconfigure their social identity and develop a revised sense of purpose in daily life in light of civilian and military cultural differences.4-5 Stressors associated with MCT include reverse culture shock,6-7 identity shifts,8 difficulties finding employment9 and managing service-related health problems.10 Military family research indicates that families may be impacted by the same MCT stressors, which they can support veterans in managing.2-3,11-13 A veteran’s mental health problem may serve as another compounding challenge for families moving through MCT, which can negatively impact family relationships.2,14-16As reported in more detail in a previous publication using this same sample,17 while many participants in this study had a family member with a clinically diagnosed mental disorder (e.g., post-traumatic stress disorder [PTSD]), we use the broader term mental health problem to include both diagnosed and undiagnosed (i.e., subthreshold or prodromal) emotional, social and psychological issues that can compromise a veteran’s wellbeing. Although the majority of CAF veterans, regardless of their mental and physical health, reported a smooth MCT in 2016 through participation in the Life After Service Study (LASS), 32% experienced this time as difficult, 28% reported a difficult MCT for their partners and 17% reported a difficult MCT for their children.18 An understanding of how families ‘rebound from or withstand’19 (p.261) MCT stressors could support service providers and policymakers in promoting military and veteran family wellbeing. Little is known about how families collectively experience MCT in general. We contribute to this understanding by investigating how six females who are intimate partners of CAF veterans in Atlantic Canada describe the familial resilience processes and protective factors that supported them in addressing their family’s MCT and mental health stressors. Due to our small sample size, the research presented here is not generalisable to the larger population of veteran families. However, as an exploratory study, the stories of the participating women and the common themes provide insight into the challenges of moving through MCT with a veteran family member experiencing a mental health problem. These insights will inform programs and policies focusing on the familial transition through MCT.

Australasian Military Medicine Association

Article
REACH Publication

military to civilian, resilience

https://jmvh.org/article/cultivating-family-resiliency-in-the-context-of-the-military-to-civilian-transition-and-mental-health-problems/

Research Summary

The original study was funded by Veterans Affairs Canada (VAC)

  March 2023