Abstract
The term ‘military veteran’ is used to describe a person ‘who has served at least one day in [His] Majesty’s Armed Forces (Regular or Reserve) or Merchant Mariners who have seen duty on legally defined military operations’.
Recent Census data reported that there are approximately 1.85 million veterans residing in the UK with the highest proportions of veterans living in the South West (5.6%) and North East (5.0%) of England.
Amongst a multitude of challenges encountered by veterans, substance use is an issue faced by veterans worldwide. However, access to support and treatment can be difficult as veterans face expectations and attitudes within civilian services that are often at odds with their experiences of military life. A recent systematic review of evidence reporting on enablers and barriers to help-seeking for military veterans reported that issues relating to military culture; lack of information about support systems; and relationship challenges can all act as barriers to help seeking. The review further proposed that qualitative approaches are advantageous in this field as they help to provide in depth understanding of veterans’ experiences.
Given the unique challenges faced by military veterans, it is important that we work with them, their families and professionals working in support services to learn more about their experiences and how support could be improved. This is especially important in the North East of England given the higher proportion of veterans based in this area compared to other regions.
The current project therefore set out to understand the range of factors influencing access to substance use support for military veterans and what more could be done to improve support offered through organisations.
Recent Census data reported that there are approximately 1.85 million veterans residing in the UK with the highest proportions of veterans living in the South West (5.6%) and North East (5.0%) of England.
Amongst a multitude of challenges encountered by veterans, substance use is an issue faced by veterans worldwide. However, access to support and treatment can be difficult as veterans face expectations and attitudes within civilian services that are often at odds with their experiences of military life. A recent systematic review of evidence reporting on enablers and barriers to help-seeking for military veterans reported that issues relating to military culture; lack of information about support systems; and relationship challenges can all act as barriers to help seeking. The review further proposed that qualitative approaches are advantageous in this field as they help to provide in depth understanding of veterans’ experiences.
Given the unique challenges faced by military veterans, it is important that we work with them, their families and professionals working in support services to learn more about their experiences and how support could be improved. This is especially important in the North East of England given the higher proportion of veterans based in this area compared to other regions.
The current project therefore set out to understand the range of factors influencing access to substance use support for military veterans and what more could be done to improve support offered through organisations.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Place of Publication | Newcastle Upon Tyne |
| Publisher | Northumbria University |
| Number of pages | 30 |
| Publication status | Published - Mar 2025 |