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 Social Isolation Among Older Military Veterans

2021 ◽  
Vol 5 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. 540-540
Author(s):  
Kirsten Laha-Walsh ◽  
Zainab Suntai
Keyword(s):  
Social Isolation ◽  
Military Service ◽  
Military Veterans ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Critical Issue ◽  
The United States ◽  
Civilian Life ◽  
Explanatory Variables ◽  
Increased Risk ◽  
Socially Isolated

Abstract Social isolation is an increasingly critical issue among older adults and has been found to affect several domains of well-being, including physical, psychological, and cognitive health. Research has found that military veterans often experience hardships in the transition back to civilian life including emotional trauma, depression, substance misuse and pain from combat-related injuries, which have been shown to persist well into older adulthood. As such, this study aimed to examine the prevalence of social isolation among older military veterans and determine which veterans are most at-risk of experiencing social isolation, using the Berkman-Syme Social Network Index as a framework. Data were derived from Round 1 of the National Health and Aging Trends Study (NHATS), an annual longitudinal panel survey of adults aged 65 and older living in the United States. Results showed that about 4.5% of veterans in the NHATS are severely socially isolated while another 20.9% are socially isolated. After controlling for other explanatory variables, being White, being 85 and older, having lower educational attainment, being unmarried/unpartnered and having lower income were associated with an increased risk of experiencing social isolation. Interventions aiming to improve the well-being of older veterans should consider employing both preventative and amendatory measures. These may include the creation and administration of a standardized social isolation scale during visits to veterans’ affairs (VA) medical centers and a general effort to address stressors from military service by destigmatizing and improving access to mental health services.

Music workshops as a pathway to community engagement for military veterans

2020 ◽  
Vol 11 (3) ◽  
pp. 329-340
Author(s):  
Niyati Dhokai
Keyword(s):  
Community Engagement ◽  
Military Service ◽  
Military Veterans ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Valuable Insight ◽  
Civilian Life ◽  
Post Injury ◽  
Community Based ◽  
Arts Engagement ◽  
The Impact

For military veterans who are integrating into civilian community settings after military service, community engagement often involves the negotiation of post-injury needs, the consideration of new roles within the family and community social structures and the transition from military to civilian life. Community-based music programmes can provide opportunities to explore new social relationships with family, friends and community members and reinforce a sense of well-being as well as inform facilitators about the different learning and health needs, particularly those leading to social isolation, of veterans and their families that may affect adherence and retention during the workshop series. This article examines the impact of participating in community-based guitar workshops using ethnographic observation, surveys and interviews with veteran participants. Longitudinal ethnographic information offers valuable insight to plan long-term arts engagement as veterans and their families transition to new communities and continue to utilize the arts as a way to provide positive peer-to-peer support.

Music workshops as a pathway to community engagement for military veterans

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Niyati Dhokai
Keyword(s):  
Community Engagement ◽  
Military Service ◽  
Military Veterans ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Valuable Insight ◽  
Civilian Life ◽  
Community Members ◽  
The Arts ◽  
Arts Engagement ◽  
The Impact

For military veterans who are integrating into civilian community settings after military service, community engagement often involves the negotiation of postinjury needs, the consideration of new roles within the family and community social structures and the transition from military to civilian life. Communitybased music programmes can provide opportunities to explore new social relationships with family, friends and community members and reinforce a sense of well-being as well as inform facilitators about the different learning and health needs, particularly those leading to social isolation, of veterans and their families that may affect adherence and retention during the workshop series. This article examines the impact of participating in community-based guitar workshops using ethnographic observation, surveys and interviews with veteran participants. Longitudinal ethnographic information offers valuable insight to plan long-term arts engagement as veterans and their families transition to new communities and continue to utilize the arts as a way to provide positive peer-to-peer support.

Does Military Service Make the Experience of Prison Less Painful? Voices From Incarcerated Veterans

2016 ◽  
Vol 28 (8) ◽  
pp. 770-789 ◽  
Author(s):  
David C. May ◽  
Kristen L. Stives ◽  
Makeela J. Wells ◽  
Peter B. Wood
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Military Service ◽  
Military Veterans ◽  
The United States ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Willingness To Serve ◽  
The Military ◽  
Community Sanctions ◽  
Black Inmates ◽  
Alternative Sanctions

There are more than 100,000 military veterans incarcerated in prisons throughout the United States. Nevertheless, almost nothing is known about these veterans or their incarceration experiences. In this article, we present results from a survey of more than 1,100 inmates in a large state correctional system to determine how inmates who are military veterans compare with inmates who have not served in the military in terms of their willingness to serve alternative sanctions to avoid imprisonment. The data reveal that, with the exception of military service, inmates who are military veterans are significantly less likely than their counterparts who have not served in the military to accept a variety of community sanctions over prison. In addition, Black inmates who have not served in the military are somewhat different than White inmates who have served in the military in those choices. Implications of these findings for future research are discussed.

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.

The Perpetuation of Gender Norms and White Hegemonic Patriarchy in the South African Defence Force as Represented in André van der Merwe’s Moffie (2006)

2020 ◽  
Vol 8 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Bernard Nolen Fortuin
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Military Service ◽  
Well Being ◽  
The Novel ◽  
White Family ◽  
White Children ◽  
White Masculinity ◽  
Party Government ◽  
Compulsory Military Service ◽  
The Military

With the institution of compulsory military service in South Africa in 1948 the National Party government effected a tool well shaped for the construction of hegemonic masculinities. Through this, and other structures like schools and families, white children were shaped into submissive abiding citizens. Due to the brutal nature of a militarised society, gender roles become strictly defined and perpetuated. As such, white men’s time served on the border also “toughened” them up and shaped them into hegemonic copies of each other, ready to enforce patriarchal and racist ideologies. In this article, I look at how the novel Moffie by André Carl van der Merwe (2006) illustrates hegemonic white masculinity in South Africa and how it has long been strictly regulated to perpetuate the well-being of the white family as representative of the capitalist state. I discuss the novel by looking at the ways in which the narrator is marked by service in the military, which functions as a socialising agent, but as importantly by the looming threat of the application of the term “moffie” to himself, by self or others.  

Health and Service-related Impact of Sexual and Stalking Victimization During United States Military Service on LGBT Service Members

2020 ◽  
pp. 088626052097031
Author(s):  
Cary Leonard Klemmer ◽  
Ashley C. Schuyler ◽  
Mary Rose Mamey ◽  
Sheree M. Schrager ◽  
Carl Andrew Castro ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Military Service ◽  
The United States ◽  
Active Duty ◽  
Service Members ◽  
United States Military ◽  
Service Outcomes ◽  
Study Participants ◽  
The Military ◽  
Stalking Victimization

Prior research among military personnel has indicated that sexual harassment, stalking, and sexual assault during military service are related to negative health sequelae. However, research specific to LGBT U.S. service members is limited. The current study aimed to explore the health, service utilization, and service-related impact of stalking and sexual victimization experiences in a sample of active-duty LGBT U.S. service members ( N = 248). Respondent-driven sampling was used to recruit study participants. U.S. service members were eligible to participate if they were 18 years or older and active-duty members of the U.S. Army, U.S. Navy, U.S. Marine Corps, or U.S. Air Force. This study included a sizeable portion of transgender service members ( N = 58, 23.4%). Sociodemographic characteristics, characteristics of military service, health, and sexual and stalking victimization in the military were assessed. Regression was used to examine relationships between health and service outcomes and sexual and stalking victimization during military service. Final adjusted models showed that experiencing multiple forms of victimization in the military increased the odds of visiting a mental health clinician and having elevated somatic symptoms, posttraumatic stress disorder symptomatology, anxiety, and suicidality. Sexual and stalking victimization during U.S. military service was statistically significantly related to the mental and physical health of LGBT U.S. service members. Interventions to reduce victimization experiences and support LGBT U.S. service members who experience these types of violence are indicated. Research that examines the role of LGBT individuals’ experiences and organizational and peer factors, including social support, leadership characteristics, and institutional policies in the United States military is needed.

Predictors of not working among treatment-seeking UK veterans: a cross-sectional study

2020 ◽  
pp. bmjmilitary-2020-001412
Author(s):  
Laura Josephine Hendrikx ◽  
J Ross ◽  
C Armour ◽  
D Murphy
Keyword(s):  
At Risk ◽  
Physical Health ◽  
Military Service ◽  
Treatment Seeking ◽  
Post Traumatic Stress ◽  
Contributing Factors ◽  
Civilian Life ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Younger Age ◽  
The Military

IntroductionMany veterans do well reintegrating to civilian life following military service. Yet, many face difficulties in finding and securing work. Veterans are more likely than civilians to experience work difficulties, but there remains little research investigating contributing factors, particularly among samples of treatment-seeking veterans. As such, the study examines predictors of not working among UK treatment-seeking veterans.DesignThe study employed a cross-sectional design.MethodsOf 667 treatment-seeking UK veterans, 403 (Mage=50.94) provided information on a range of demographic variables, military-related experiences, the total number of physical health conditions and mental health outcomes. Work status was categorised as not working due to illness (Mage=48.15), not working due to other reasons (Mage=61.92) and currently working (Mage= 46.13).ResultsPrevalence rates of not working was 69%. Not working was predicted by a greater number of physical health problems as well as more years since leaving the military. Not working due to poor health was independently predicted by symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and younger age, while not working due to other reasons was predicted by older age.ConclusionsThe study revealed that treatment-seeking veterans of younger age with a high number of physical health difficulties, symptoms of PTSD and more years since leaving the military are most at risk of not working due to ill health. The findings have important implications for identifying veterans most at risk of not working and offer the opportunity to tailor rehabilitation programmes to promote successful veteran reintegration into civilian life.

Unique Considerations for Homeless Female Veterans

2018 ◽  
pp. 163-188 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ann Elizabeth Montgomery ◽  
Thomas H. Byrne ◽  
Melissa E. Dichter
Keyword(s):  
Military Service ◽  
Women Veterans ◽  
Housing Instability ◽  
Female Veterans ◽  
Younger Women ◽  
The Military

As the number of women Veterans continues to increase, so does the number of women Veterans experiencing housing instability. Homelessness or risk for homelessness among women Veterans may be directly linked to their experiences before, during, and after their military service, particularly the experience of trauma. To address homelessness among women Veterans, providers and researchers must acknowledge the gendered nature of both the military and Veteran-specific resources. Responses should include providing housing-related interventions specifically for women, assessing and addressing trauma among women Veterans, responding to the needs of younger women Veterans who may be homeless with children, and supporting women Veterans during their reintegration after discharge from the military.

scholarly journals Daily Coping With Social Identity Threat in Outgroup-Dominated Contexts: Self-Group Distancing Among Female Soldiers

2020 ◽  
Vol 47 (1) ◽  
pp. 118-130 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jenny Veldman ◽  
Colette Van Laar ◽  
Loes Meeussen ◽  
Salvatore Lo Bue
Keyword(s):  
Social Identity ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Daily Basis ◽  
Identity Threat ◽  
Daily Experience ◽  
Social Identity Threat ◽  
Data Points ◽  
Regulation Strategies ◽  
The Military ◽  
Female Soldiers

We examine the degree to which women in a male-dominated field cope with daily experiences of social identity threat by distancing themselves from other women. A daily experience-sampling study among female soldiers ( N = 345 data points nested in 61 participants) showed women to self-group distance more on days in which they experienced more identity threat. This was mediated by daily concerns about belonging but not achievement in the military, supporting the explanation that women distance from other women as a way to fit in a masculine domain. However, on a daily basis, self-group distancing did not appear to protect women’s outcomes as it was related to lower daily well-being and motivation. The findings indicate that targets are not passive recipients of identity threat but active agents coping daily with the challenges they face, but that regulation strategies may also incur costs. Implications for theories on coping with stigma and costs are discussed.

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