Gender differences in barriers to mental healthcare for UK military veterans: a preliminary investigation

Abstract

IntroductionLimited UK research focuses on female military veterans’ gender-related experiences and issues when accessing civilian mental healthcare support. This study sought to illuminate a preliminary understanding of any gender differences in barriers that may discourage them accessing mental healthcare support.MethodsA total of 100 participants completed an open online survey of UK triservice veterans who identified as having experienced postmilitary mental health problems. They completed a 30-item Barriers to Access to Care Evaluation scale and were asked to elaborate using free-text questions. Resulting quantitative data were analysed for gender-related differences, while the qualitative text was thematically explored.ResultsWhile stigma, previous poor experience of mental healthcare and a lack of trust in civilian providers were found to act as barriers to postmilitary support for both men and women, significantly more women reported that their gender had also impacted on their intention to seek help. Women also commented on the impact of gender-related discrimination during service on their help-seeking experiences.ConclusionsWhile efforts are being made by the UK Ministry of Defence to reduce barriers to mental healthcare for those still serving in the Armed Forces, it has been more difficult to provide a similar level of support to the veteran population. With little veteran research focusing on the specific experiences of women, this study suggests that female veterans encounter specific access barriers and issues related to their gender. Further research is therefore needed to ensure these findings are addressed.

Exploring Barriers to Mental Health Treatment in the Female Veteran Population: A Qualitative Study

“…As was identified in the current study, previous research has demonstrated that self-imposed and social stigma related to mental health treatment is common within the military population and can cause veterans to avoid seeking support (e.g., Blais & Renshaw, 2013;Mittal et al, 2013;Ouimette et al, 2011). There is a persisting association between military culture and mental health stigma (Iversen et al, 2010;Iversen et al, 2011), which may be particularly important within the female population as the stigma around female weakness may discourage helpseeking (Godier-McBard et al, 2021). Although mental health stigma is reported as one of the biggest barriers to accessing treatment for male veterans (Hoge et al, 2004), it was one of the least frequently reported themes in the current study.…”

“…Furthermore, female veterans have been found to experience significantly higher rates of PTSD following military service compared to male veterans (Tolin & Foa, 2008), or at least PTSD and depression rates on par with male veterans (Hoge et al, 2007). Moreover, these reports may be because experiences and difficulties of female veterans are minimised or misunderstood by health professionals (Disabled American Veterans, 2014) and often female veterans report a lack of recognition from health care professionals that they may have experienced the same trauma as male veterans, i.e., combat-related trauma (Godier-McBard et al, 2021). This inequality between the treatment of male and female veterans may be reflective of attitudes that women are secondary to men in the military due in part to the collocation policy (a policy which prohibits women from holding positions where they will be physically working in ground combat; Morris, 1995).…”

“…Despite a lack of data regarding treatment seeking among UK female veterans, a US study demonstrated that female veterans represented only 6% of veterans seeking support (Friedman et al, 2011). Untreated psychological difficulties are a problem within the military and can be detrimental to veterans' long-term mental and physical health (Kessler, 2000;Schnurr & Green, 2004), quality of life (Pittman et al, 2012), and relationships (Godier-McBard et al, 2021).…”

“…Previous research has identified a number of barriers to treatment-seeking within military populations: poor recognition of mental health difficulties (Britt et al, 2012), poor experience of previous treatment (Godier-McBard et al, 2021), and mental health stigma (Gould et al, 2007). Many also face practical barriers such as problems with the availability and accessibility of services (Brown et al, 2011), and long waiting times (Damron-Rodriguez et al, 2004).…”

Engaging veterans in the research process: a practical guide

“…Many military veterans make the transition from military to civilian life without difficulty; however, there remains a proportion of veterans who have experienced multiple and complex health, financial and social needs. The complex problems tend to exacerbate each other and deepen over time if appropriate support is not provided -which is in turn made more difficult by the well-documented lack of trust by veterans in the social and healthcare systems that are designed to support them [2][3][4].…”