Abstract
Introduction: The study “The psychological and physical health and well-being of New Zealand contemporary Veterans” represents one of the few large population studies conducted on contemporary Veterans in New Zealand. Included in this survey was an open-ended question allowing respondents to articulate their thoughts, opinions, or feedback on the Veteran experience.
Methods: Responses were analyzed using qualitative content analysis framework informed by Mayring’s (2022) eight-step content analysis process. A hybrid deductive–inductive approach was used to generate sub-themes from participants’ responses, which were categorized under the World Health Organization’s four domains of well-being (psychological, social, environmental, and physical).
Results: In this study, responses from 1,037 Veterans were analyzed and put into 22 sub-themes and four overarching themes. While many participants expressed positive gains due to their military service, challenges in psychological, social, environmental, and physical well-being were evident. Positive outcomes included gaining educational achievements, career skills, and personal growth and development. Challenges included issues such as posttraumatic stress disorder, depression, anxiety, moral injury, identity confusion, internalized stigma, stereotyping, the strain of demanding work on family life, hearing loss, musculoskeletal problems, and concerns regarding toxic chemical exposure.
Discussion: Veterans face challenges in all four domains of well-being. Despite encountering difficulties, there is a reluctance or social stigma associated with Veterans seeking help for their well-being concerns, compounding the challenges they face. Additionally, Veterans perceive a need for more accessible and effective support services. Lay Summary Transitioning from military to civilian life presents practical and emotional challenges that often impact Veterans’ sense of identity, health, family relationships, and social acceptance. Many Veterans struggle to reintegrate with their families and face difficulties accessing civilian support services that may not fully understand their unique needs. For this reason, collecting direct feedback from Veterans effectively captures both the barriers and supports for a successful transition. In this study, 1,037 New Zealand Veterans shared their experiences — both the positive outcomes, like gaining new skills, education, and personal growth, and the challenges. Veterans reported issues such as mental health struggles, identity conflicts, family strain, hearing loss, and concerns about exposure to harmful chemicals. Despite these well-being challenges across all areas of life, many Veterans hesitate to seek help due to social stigma or personal reluctance. Veterans strongly expressed the need for better, more accessible support services to ease the transition process.