Families’ experiences of supporting Australian veterans to seek help for a mental health problem: a linked data analysis of national surveys with families and veterans

Abstract

Background

Families play a critical role in supporting currently serving and transitioned veterans’ wellbeing and help-seeking for mental health concerns; however, little is known about families’ experiences.

Aims

This study used Australian national survey linked-data (n = 1217) from families (Family Wellbeing Study-FWS) and veterans (Mental Health Wellbeing Transition Study-MHWTS) to understand veteran-family help-seeking relationships.

Methods

Veterans’ and family members’ responses to mental health and help-seeking questions in FWS and MHWTS datasets from perspective of family members were cross-tabulated. Help-seeking support provided by family members was compared by veterans’ probable disorder.

Results

Results highlighted high levels of involvement and continuous assistance provided by families. Two in three family members thought the veteran had probable mental health concerns although they have never been diagnosed or treated. Clear disparities between family and veteran perspectives regarding mental health concerns indicates the extent of non-treatment seeking in this population, missed opportunities for early intervention, and need for greater support to families to promote help-seeking.

Conclusions

Encouraging help-seeking is complex for veteran families particularly where veterans’ reluctance to seek help may lead to family relationship strain and conflict. Families need early information, support, and recognition by service agencies of the role of the family in encouraging help-seeking.

Keywords:

• Families
• veterans
• mental health
• help-seeking
• quantitative

Acknowledgements

We wish to thank the family members of veterans and emergency services first responders who generously provided their time and shared their experiences as participants in this research. We also wish to thank the members of the Project Reference Group who provided their expertise to recruitment and synthesis of the findings. We particularly acknowledge Mr Chad McLaren, Ms Tiffany Sharp and the Defence Force Welfare Association of South Australia.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Funding

This research was funded by a grant from The Road Home – The Colonel Susan Neuhaus CSC (Ret'd) Fellowship.