Interventions for Women Veterans with Mental Health Care Needs: Findings from a Scoping Review

Abstract

Experts have prioritized research on women veterans’ mental health and the delivery of gender-sensitive care. The purpose of this study was to conduct a scoping review of the literature to summarize interventions for women veterans with mental health care needs designed in the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). We identified 1,073 articles; eight were eligible for full review and represented seven unique interventions. Four studies focused on individual-level interventions; three studies focused on interpersonal-level interventions. Some attributes of gender-sensitive care included modifying the treatment environment and offering same gender clinicians. In designing interventions, clinicians and researchers can: (a) create interprofessional teams which include nurses, (b) use participatory methods to improve study designs, (c) assess participants’ barriers to care prior to designing interventions, (d) incorporate and evaluate attributes of gender-sensitive care, and (e) utilize and clearly delineate how theory guides research. With improved intervention research, clinicians and researchers can support women veterans with mental health care needs.

Acknowledgements

The authors would like to thank Crystal Hanson, Elizabeth Terp, Laura Block, and Brenda Owen for their assistance with this study.

Disclosure statement

The authors declare no conflicts of interest.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by the 2017 Jean E. Johnson Research Award, School of Nursing, University of Wisconsin-Madison. This content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not represent the official views of the Department of Veterans Affairs.