Military Culture and the Transition to Civilian Life: Suicide Risk and Other Considerations

Military Culture and Post-Military Transitioning Among Veterans: A Qualitative Analysis

“…Despite the longstanding recognition of the gap as a problem and calls for action to reduce it, the gap has, if anything, increased over time. A large percentage of veterans returning from Operation Enduring Freedom/Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF/OEF) report serious struggles with their transition to civilian life, and the culture gap plays a significant role in creating those struggles (Pease, Billera & Gerard, 2016). Developing clear understandings of military culture is crucial for honoring veterans' core values and beliefs in the delivery of healthcare services.…”

Qualitative Interviewing: Testing Health Surveys Among Vietnam War Veterans at the Age of 70 Years

“…We oversampled veterans because it is our contention that veterans, especially those veterans who lived through the "Vietnam experience" (Boyle et al, 1989), may differ from nonveterans in their approach to surveys due mainly to service-related factors (Boyle et al, 1989;Kulka et al, 1988;Magruder et al, 2015;National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, 2016;Pease et al, 2016;Schlenger et al, 2015). Veterans of various conflicts, especially those of the Vietnam War, have mental health issues related to their service (Jordan et al, 1991;Kulka et al, 1988;Magruder et al, 2015;Marmar et al, 2015;Schlenger et al, 2015).…”

“…Veterans, particularly those veterans who lived through the "Vietnam experience" (Boyle, Decouflé, & O'Brien, 1989), may differ from nonveterans in their approach to surveys. This is due to many factors: their stigmatization derived from involvement in a very unpopular war, the lack of community support after returning from the war theater (Boscarino et al, 2018) and poor reintegration into civilian life, and their various deployment-related exposures that have created prolonged effects on their physical and mental health status (Boyle et al, 1989;Kulka et al, 1988;Magruder et al, 2015;National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, 2016;Pease, Billera, & Gerard, 2016;Schlenger et al, 2015;Spiro, Settersten, & Aldwin, 2016). Thus, qualitative methods are useful in assessing veterans' perceptions and interpretation of questionnaire items, and their receptivity to surveys prior to main questionnaire administration.…”

Does the money matter? Analyzing the relationship between the change in veteran expenditures and the changes in veteran suicide and homeless rates

“…These conditions contribute to the inability of many military personnel to integrate with a broader population that has not experienced the same events (Carlson et al, 2013). Many veterans feel disconnected from the broader society as their view of the world comes into conflict with a non-conflict environment (Pease, Billera, & Gerard, 2015). Behavior that would seem normal to other military members is considered to some extent threatening or disturbing to those with non-military backgrounds.…”

“…Behavior that would seem normal to other military members is considered to some extent threatening or disturbing to those with non-military backgrounds. The 'brotherhood' that was once available to them is difficult to reenact in the civilian world (Pease, Billera, & Gerard, 2015 It is not that many do not have the capability to live in a stable environment. In fact, according to Cunningham, Henry, and Lyons (2007), veterans "are more likely to be educated and employed and less likely to be at a lower poverty rate" (p. 3).…”