Experiences of ethnic minority personnel in the armed forces: A systematic review

Ethnic minority personnel experience greater levels of harassment and discrimination than their non-minority counterparts. This review demonstrates the impact of these experiences on ethnic minority personnel in the armed forces.

A literature search was conducted in PubMed, PsycInfo, PsycArticles, EBSCO, and Web of Science. Sixteen articles that discussed Black, Asian, and ethnic minority armed forces personnel were analyzed.

Much of what is known about ethnic minority experiences of serving in the armed forces is based on ethnic minorities in the U.S. Armed Forces. The available literature shows that ethnic minority serving personnel and Veterans experience greater disadvantage than their native counterparts, both during and after service. Ethnic minority personnel reported poorer health than white personnel and fear of criticism from their ethnic minority community on disclosure of traumatic experiences. Ethnic minority personnel were also more likely to access formal mental health services yet less likely to engage in treatment, particularly women. Three themes were identified: cultural identity, health status and health utilization, and trauma and discrimination.

Research reports often do not highlight individual ethnic minority groups, thus making it difficult to draw conclusions about them. Future research should consider evaluating the psychosocial context influencing functioning among different ethnic minority groups and should also explore the benefits of serving in the armed forces.