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Veteran help-seeking behaviour for mental health issues: a systematic review
1Westminster Centre for Research in Veterans, University of Chester Faculty of Health and Social Care, Chester, UK.
BMJ Military Health
|July 13, 2021
Summary
Barriers like stigma and military culture hinder mental healthcare seeking for veterans. Facilitators include anti-stigma campaigns and improved healthcare accessibility for this population.
Area of Science:
- Mental Health Research
- Military and Veteran Health
- Psychological Sciences
Background:
- High prevalence of mental health disorders in serving military personnel and veterans.
- Low rates of mental healthcare utilization among this demographic.
- Need for understanding help-seeking barriers and facilitators amid increased UK support.
Purpose of the Study:
- Identify barriers and facilitators to mental healthcare seeking in the veteran population.
- Inform strategies to improve mental health support for armed forces communities.
- Synthesize existing literature on veteran mental health help-seeking.
Main Methods:
- Comprehensive literature search across PsycINFO, PsycArticles, Medline, Web of Science, and EBSCO.
- Inclusion criteria focused on barriers and facilitators for mental health concerns in veterans.
- Exclusion of studies on serving personnel or physical health issues; analysis of 26 papers.
Main Results:
- Identified barriers: stigma, military stoicism, self-reliance, combat exposure, and deployment characteristics.
- Identified barriers: health service access issues and lack of understanding from civilian staff.
- Identified facilitators: anti-stigma campaigns, veteran involvement, military personnel training, and improved healthcare accessibility/understanding.
Conclusions:
- Current research predominantly from the USA and on male veterans, lacking longitudinal data.
- Need for research on female veterans and within diverse national contexts.
- Further investigation required to identify effective facilitators for veteran mental health help-seeking.
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