Transitioning to civilian life: The importance of social group engagement and identity among Australian Defence Force veterans

2021 ◽  
pp. 000486742110468
Author(s):  
Anthony Barnett ◽  
Michael Savic ◽  
David Forbes ◽  
David Best ◽  
Emma Sandral ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Social Group ◽  
Negative Impact ◽  
Sense Of Self ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Civilian Life ◽  
Australian Defence Force ◽  
Being There ◽  
Group Engagement ◽  
The Military ◽  
Group Memberships

Objective: Veterans transitioning to civilian life after leaving the military face unique health concerns. Although there is a significant body of research exploring veterans’ experiences of transition and predictors of well-being, there are limited studies examining how social group engagement influences veterans’ transition. We explored how Australian Defence Force veterans’ social group engagement and identity influenced their adjustment to civilian life and well-being. Methods: Forty Australian veterans (85% male; mean age = 37 years, range = 25–57 years) took part in in-depth, semi-structured interviews. Participants completed two mapping tasks (a social network map and life course map) that provided a visual component to the interviews. Interview transcripts were analysed thematically and interpreted by adopting a social identity approach. Results: Joining the military involved a process of socialisation into military culture that for most participants led to the development of a military identity. An abrupt or difficult discharge from defence was often associated with a negative impact on social group engagement and well-being in civilian life. Veterans’ social group memberships may act not only as positive psychological resources during transition but also as a potential source of conflict, especially when trying to re-engage with civilian groups with different norms or beliefs. Military values inscribed within a veteran’s sense of self, including a strong sense of service, altruism and giving back to their community, may operate as positive resources and promote social group engagement. Conclusion: Engaging with supportive social groups can support transition to civilian life. Reintegration may be improved via effective linkage with programmes (e.g. volunteering, ex-service support organisations) that offer supportive social networks and draw upon veterans’ desire to give back to community. Social mapping tasks that visualise veterans’ social group structures may be useful for clinicians to explore the roles and conflicts associated with veterans’ social group memberships during transition.

scholarly journals New group memberships formed after an acquired brain injury predicts post-traumatic growth: A prospective study.

2022 ◽  
Author(s):  
Siobhán M Griffin ◽  
Elaine Kinsella ◽  
Daragh Bradshaw ◽  
Grace McMahon ◽  
Alastair Nightingale ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Brain Injury ◽  
Prospective Study ◽  
Posttraumatic Growth ◽  
Social Group ◽  
Sense Of Self ◽  
Acquired Brain Injury ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Post Injury ◽  
Positive Effects ◽  
Group Memberships

Predicting positive psychosocial outcomes following an Acquired Brain Injury (ABI) remains a challenge. Considerable research demonstrates that social group memberships can have positive effects on psychological well-being, particularly during life transitions. Social group memberships are argued to help people derive a sense of self. This prospective study examined if social group memberships (number of groups and connectedness with groups) could predict posttraumatic growth (PTG) in those affected by ABI. Thirty-six participants (10 females, Mage = 46.56, SD = 11.46) engaged in community rehabilitation services completed measures at two time-points. Mediation analyses demonstrated that the number of new group memberships (groups formed post-injury) predicted greater PTG at time 2, via stronger connectedness with these new group memberships (controlling for initial PTG). The observed results suggest that a focus on developing and strengthening connections with new group memberships may promote positive adjustment after brain injury.

Supporting patients considering reconstructive surgery

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Diana Harcourt ◽  
Alex Clarke
Keyword(s):  
Body Image ◽  
Breast Reconstruction ◽  
Reconstructive Surgery ◽  
Negative Impact ◽  
Sense Of Self ◽  
Decision Aids ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Shared Decision ◽  
Significant Negative Impact

Cancer diagnosis and treatment can have a significant negative impact on patients’ well-being, body image, sexuality, and sense of self. Reconstructive surgery is commonly assumed to offer improved body image and quality of life to patients whose appearance has altered as a result of cancer treatment, but deciding whether or not to undergo reconstructive surgery can be difficult. This chapter uses the example of breast reconstruction to consider the ways in which patients faced with complex decisions about appearance-altering reconstructive surgery might be helped to make the choice that is best for them. It outlines typical options around the type and timing of breast reconstruction, considers patients’ motivation for surgery, and satisfaction with the outcome. It then explores ways of helping them make their decision, highlighting the use of decision aids and interventions focused around patients’ expectations of surgery as a way of facilitating shared decision-making in this context.

Counseling Male Members of the Canadian Forces

2014 ◽  
Vol 16 (3) ◽  
pp. 158-166
Author(s):  
Jonathan E. Prousky
Keyword(s):  
Well Being ◽  
Lifestyle Changes ◽  
Psychological Resilience ◽  
Canadian Forces ◽  
Civilian Life ◽  
Masculine Ideology ◽  
Acculturation Process ◽  
Counseling Interventions ◽  
Therapeutic Lifestyle Changes ◽  
The Military

The lives of men working in the Canadian Forces (CF) are vastly different from civilian life. The hardships and competition they endure often results in impersonal and alienating feelings. Such a life demands that their personal needs are subsumed by the overarching goals of the institution, necessitating that all men embrace the dictums of the CF. As a result of these unique hardships, the psychological well-being among the regular forces is generally worse compared to civilian workers. Counselors need to attune psychotherapy to the specific psychological and sociocultural adaptation stresses that these men have experienced as part of the military acculturation process that shifts them to embrace a more “militarized” worldview. Counselors should alter their approach to accommodate the traditional masculine ideology that underlies how these military men interface with the world. Lastly, counselors should rely on counseling interventions that promote therapeutic lifestyle changes and build on psychological resilience, such as skills building, therapeutic enactment, and mindfulness-based therapies.

scholarly journals Manifestations of the coping strategies used by heads of educational institutions in relation to the levels of work stress

2021 ◽  
Vol 2-3 (23) ◽  
pp. 18-23
Author(s):  
Alla Vozniuk ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Coping Strategies ◽  
Work Stress ◽  
Work Performance ◽  
Negative Impact ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Educational Institutions ◽  
Adaptive Coping ◽  
Being There ◽  
Managerial Activity

Introduction. Managerial activity is associated with a great number of stressful situations faced by heads of educational institutions, which negatively affects their work performance and well-being. There is a need to develop adaptive coping strategies used by heads of educational institutions that would help reduce their work stress. Aim. To investigate the manifestations of coping strategies used by heads of educational institutions in relation to the levels of work stress. Results. There are relationships between the levels of work stress experienced by heads of educational institutions and the manifestations of their dominant coping strategies. Conclusions. It was determined that the increase in work stress faced by heads of educational institutions had a negative impact on their adaptive coping strategies.

The importance of staying connected: Mediating and moderating effects of social group memberships on psychological well‐being after brain tumor

2019 ◽  
Vol 28 (7) ◽  
pp. 1537-1543 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lee Cubis ◽  
Tamara Ownsworth ◽  
Mark B. Pinkham ◽  
Matthew Foote ◽  
Melissa Legg ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Brain Tumor ◽  
Social Group ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Moderating Effects ◽  
Psychological Well Being ◽  
Group Memberships

scholarly journals The features of mutual relations in family and attitude to the political-legal sphere in the context of military conflict in Ukraine

HUMANITARIUM ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 39 (1) ◽  
pp. 100-115
Author(s):  
Svitlana Kravchuk ◽  
Vyacheslav Skhalanskyy
Keyword(s):  
Negative Impact ◽  
Well Being ◽  
The State ◽  
Displaced Persons ◽  
Event Scale ◽  
Military Conflict ◽  
The People ◽  
The Government ◽  
Study Participants ◽  
The Military

Presents the results of empirical study, which was attended by 246 people of different age (112 men and 134 women), which living in Donetsk, Mariupol and Kiev. We used the following methods: 2 author’s research questionnaires; Impact of Event Scale (M. Horowitz, N. Wilner). Empirically it is shown that in a situation of military conflict in Ukraine in comparison with the period before the military conflict: 1) displaced persons from the combat zone and the people currently living in Mariupol emphasize the negative impact of the situation of the military conflict in Ukraine on the well-being of their family members; 2) increased aggressiveness and proneness to conflict has been observed among the participants of the study currently living in Mariupol and among the displaced persons from the combat zone; 3) the situation of the military conflict in Ukraine has been stressful for the study participants and their families, this is especially pronounced persons from the combat zone and the people currently living in Mariupol; 4) a fairly strong and very strong degree of sleep disorders has been observed among the participants of the study currently living in Mariupol, among the displaced persons from the combat zone and among the participants residing now in Donetsk; 5) irritation and anger in connection with the event – the military conflict in Ukraine – in rather strong and very strong degree have been observed among the participants of the study currently living in Mariupol, among the displaced persons from the combat zone and among the participants residing now in Donetsk. Empirical evidence shows that the most powerful influence of the situation of the military conflict in Ukraine on relations with the immediate relatives has been observed among the displaced persons from the combat zone, in comparison with other groups of research participants. 39,84% of all study participants indicate disappointment in the state, because the state does not protect the rights of citizens. Regarding the organization of the relationship between the citizen and the state respondents think that such relationships should be based: 1) on the protection of the rights of citizens; 2) on trust, honesty; 3) on respect for the Constitution. 21,95% of all study respondents indicated a lack of confidence in the government. 10,98 % of all study respondents note that they have increased aggression to politics. 13,01 % of all study respondents indicate that there is more to discuss military and political issues. 11,38 % of all study respondents have avoided the subject of war and militarypolitical events. 17,07 % of all study respondents began to perceive military and political-legal events are more critical with less confidence.

THE IMPACT OF VOLUNTEERING AIMED AT HELPING THE COMBATANTS AND VICTIMS OF THE WAR, ON VOLUNTEERS’ FAMILY WELL-BEING

2020 ◽  
pp. 100-118
Author(s):  
I. V. Klymenko
Keyword(s):  
Emotional State ◽  
Negative Impact ◽  
Personal Responsibility ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Psychological Climate ◽  
Number Of Factors ◽  
Level Of Satisfaction ◽  
The Family ◽  
The Military ◽  
The Impact

In the article, we have analyzed the information that concerns the potential impact of volunteer activity on the psycho-emotional state and the family well-being of volunteers, in particular those who carry out their activities in extreme conditions. We have analyzed the peculiarities of the activities of Ukrainian volunteers who assisted the combatants and victims of the war during the most fierce military confrontation in the East of Ukraine in 2014– 2016 and found that their activities could have a negative impact on the socio-psychological climate and the functioning of their families due to prolonged, tensional, emotionally intense and sometimes risky nature of activities. We have researched the peculiarities of matrimonial relationship and some indicators of family well-being (level of satisfaction with marriage and marriage partner, peculiarities of communication, readiness for interaction, level of mutual respect and emotional attraction) in the families of active participants of the volunteer movement, who directed their efforts to assist the military and civilian during a period of active military confrontation. We have analyzed the correlation between the family well-being of volunteers and the peculiarities of their activities. Particular attention was paid to the analysis of the specifics of activities and relationships with marital partners for volunteers whose families eventually have broken up (every fifth of studied participants have experienced a divorce during active engagement in volunteering). The indicators of the psycho-emotional status of volunteers (fixation and somatization of anxiety, depression) were also analyzed. We have identified a number of factors that can negatively affect the family well-being and the psycho-emotional state of volunteers who operate in conditions of military confrontation, in particular the intensity and duration of volunteering activity, significant personal responsibility, high emotional involvement, lack of support from family members.

scholarly journals Thank You for Hearing My Voice – Listening to Women Combat Veterans in the United States and Israeli Militaries

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shir Daphna-Tekoah ◽  
Ayelet Harel-Shalev ◽  
Ilan Harpaz-Rotem
Keyword(s):  
Narrative Analysis ◽  
Military Service ◽  
Military Veterans ◽  
Well Being ◽  
The United States ◽  
Female Veterans ◽  
Civilian Life ◽  
The Military ◽  
Female Soldiers ◽  
Combat Soldiers

The military service of combat soldiers may pose many threats to their well being and often take a toll on body and mind, influencing the physical and emotional make-up of combatants and veterans. The current study aims to enhance our knowledge about the combat experiences and the challenges that female soldiers face both during and after their service. The study is based on qualitative methods and narrative analysis of in-depth semi-structured personal interviews with twenty military veterans. It aims to analyze the narratives of American and Israeli female combat soldiers regarding their military service, with emphasis on the soldiers’ descriptions, in their own words, about their difficulties, challenges, coping and successes during their service and transition to civilian life. A recurring theme in the interviews with the veterans of both militaries was the need to be heard and the fact that societies, therapists, and military institutions do not always truly listen to female veterans’ experiences and are not really interested in what actually ails them. Our research suggests that conventional methods used in research relating to veterans might at times be inadequate, because the inherent categorization might abstract, pathologize, and fragment a wide array of soldiers’ modes of post-combat being. Moreover, female veterans’ voices will not be fully heard unless we allow them to be active participants in generating knowledge about themselves.

scholarly journals Leningrad City Health Department and Leningrad Front Military Sanitary Department: Problems of Interaction in 1941–1942

2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (4) ◽  
pp. 864-874
Author(s):  
E. D. Tverdyukova ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Negative Impact ◽  
Personal Responsibility ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Health Department ◽  
Main Task ◽  
Medical Institutions ◽  
Self Interest ◽  
Military Mobilization ◽  
The Military ◽  
The City

The article covers the problems of relations between the Leningrad City Health Department and the Military Sanitary Department of the Leningrad Front in 1941–1942. The medical institutions of the Front Evacuation Point were located within city limits due to the unfavorable combat situation. This led to conflicts between military and civilian medical agencies, both at the stage of medical support of military mobilization and deployment of a network of evacuation hospitals in the first months of the war and later. The lack of clarity on subordination, rights, and obligations had a negative impact on the deployment and ongoing activities of evacuation hospitals, the conduct of anti-epidemic measures, and personnel policies. This could undermine the combat capacity of the troops and, ultimately, threatened Leningrad. However, attempts to redistribute powers between civilian and military medical institutions were not motivated by personal self-interest of their leaders, but by the interests of the service personnel. Most likely, personal responsibility for implementing instructions of parent bodies forced them to concentrate all control in their hands to use resources promptly to avoid lengthy inter-agency coordination. Despite difficult relations and differences, the health care system of blockaded Leningrad was able to solve its main task: to ensure the sanitary and epidemiological well-being of troops and the population and to restore combat losses of the army units defending the city.

The risks of social adaptation of servicemen transferred to the reserve, to the conditions of civilian life in Russia and strategies to overcome them

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Pavel Razov ◽  
Sergey Evenko
Keyword(s):  
Military Service ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Social Adaptation ◽  
Soviet Period ◽  
Russian Society ◽  
Civilian Life ◽  
The Social ◽  
The Status ◽  
The Military ◽  
Post Soviet Period

It analyzes the risks of social adaptation to civil life in Russia — one of the main difficulties of servicemen transferred to the reserve — as well as strategies to overcome them. The urgency of studying this problem by sociologists due to the importance of sociological understanding of specific social adaptation of discharged military personnel and caused by the process problems, because their solution depends not only social and professional well-being of the social group, but also the status of the military in Russian society, the prestige of military service, much lower in the post-Soviet period. Designed for graduate students, researchers interested in the sociology of risk.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document