Understanding the Mental Health Needs of a Community-Sample of UK Women Veterans

Women are often underrepresented or entirely missing from veteran research, and there remains limited understanding of their mental health needs. The present study investigated the mental health needs of a community sample of UK women veterans. A total of 750/1680 (44.6%) participants completed an online survey. Data was collected on sociodemographic and military factors, mental health and wellbeing, and childhood adversity. Findings revealed a high prevalence and comorbidity of mental health difficulties, including common mental health difficulties (28.6%) and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) (10.8%). Women veterans who were older, not working, held a lower rank during service, perceived less social support and experienced greater loneliness were more likely to report such difficulties. Results further revealed high childhood and military adversity, and wellbeing difficulties. Such findings provide insight into the needs of women veterans and have implications for providing appropriate support. Considerations of the generalizability of findings are discussed.

PAEAN: Pain in Aging, Educational Assessment of Need - An Interprofessional Collaboration

Pain is prevalent in older adults limiting independence directly and through comorbidity-related effects on functional domains such as mobility, well-being, sleep, productivity, and oligo-pharmacy. Improved outcomes for older adults with pain depends on provider knowledge and competence; concomitantly, Veterans, women, and others at socioeconomic disadvantage may face increased pain, comorbidities, and complications of treatments. Previous guidance for educational programs, from pre-licensure to post-graduate training, in geriatrics and pain have focused on expert opinion, whereas an evidence-based approach is preferred. Our working group is conducting a structured needs assessment regarding comorbidities of common pain-associated conditions in older adults. Methods To capture expertise in medicine, nursing, pharmacy, clinical psychology, and physical therapy, we extended an open invitation to members of the VA Geriatric Research, Education, Clinical Centers Associate Director-Education network and selected, nationally-recognized clinical education experts outside VA. Results An eight-member working group, interprofessional in composition, through multiple remote meetings has defined goals of the program, evaluated preliminary evidence addressing the clinical needs of older adults with pain, and posed ‘curious questions’ about the available large-scale data. The overarching goal is evidence-based needs assessment of gaps in education about pain in older adults, with purposeful attention to risks of healthcare inequities for older adult women, Veterans, persons of color, those at socioeconomic disadvantage, and caregivers. Conclusions Interprofessional collaboration is effective in framing a broad needs assessment regarding pain and common comorbidities in older adults with the intent of meeting the educational needs of clinical trainees. More study is needed.

Making military and Veteran women (in)visible: The continuity of gendered experiences in military-to-civilian transition

LAY SUMMARY This study explores how gender and sex shape the military-to-civilian transition (MCT) for women. Thirty-three Canadian women Veterans were interviewed about their military service and post-military life. MCT research often emphasizes discontinuities between military and civilian life, but women’s accounts highlight continuities in gendered experiences. Military women are expected to fit the male norm and masculine ideal of the military member during service, but they are rarely recognized as Veterans after service. Women experience invisibility as military member and Veterans and simultaneously hypervisibility as (ex)military women who do not fit military or civilian gender norms. Gendered expectations of women as spouses and mothers exert an undue burden on them as serving members and as Veterans undergoing MCT. Women encounter care and support systems set up on the normative assumption of the military and Veteran man supported by a female spouse. The study findings point to a needed re-design of military and Veteran systems to remove sex and gender biases and better respond to the sex- and gender-specific MCT needs of women.