Military Service and Men's Health Trajectories in Later Life

Abstract

Although veterans experience better health relative to nonveterans around retirement age, they have poorer health than nonveterans among the oldest old. These findings inform our understanding of the veteran-nonveteran health-mortality paradox found in previous research and suggest a health crossover among veterans and nonveterans in later life.

The long-term impact of war on health and wellbeing in Northern Vietnam: Some glimpses from a recent survey

“…Whether wartime experiences continue to influence older adults' lives is a core question that motivates this study and a broader research agenda around elements of healthy aging in Vietnam. Given that life course researchers have recently described military service as a hidden variable that aids an understanding of aging process in the US (Wilmoth et al 2010), formal service in the VPA as well as other experiences related to war may also prove important for understanding life course trajectories and wellbeing in later adulthood in Vietnam. ***Difference is significant at p≤0.001; **Significant at p≤0.01; *Significant at p≤0.05; †Significant at p≤0.1; n.s= Not significant p-value.…”

“…Additionally, many women fought in the militia and army during the Vietnam War and their unique experiences may distinguish them from other women and from male veterans. These are among the important dimensions of experience, unique to Vietnamese older adults, whose analysis can provide insights for cross-cultural theories of life course, and illuminate military service as a hidden variable in our understanding of aging (Wilmoth et al 2010).…”

“…For nearly three decades, a significant research tradition has evolved in the US which utilizes the life course perspective as a theoretical framework for understanding the impact of military participation, particularly service during periods of war, on subsequent life course outcomes, including educational attainment, health status, marital stability, socioeconomic mobility, and criminality (Lundquist 2004;MacLean and Elder 2007;MacLean 2010;Modell and Haggarty 1991;Sampson and Laub 1996;Settersten 2006;Wilmoth et al 2010;Xie 1992). The research has shown that the military is an important institution that can reshape one's life course trajectories and that the effects of military service are not always straightforward but tend to vary across pre-service individual characteristics, the timing of military service in the life course, duration of service, historical periods of service, conflicts of participation, and service experiences (e.g., draft status, branch of service, combat roles).…”

“…First, wartime service tends to involve combat exposure, which not only heightens casualty risks but also increases risks for short-term injury and long-term disability, physical and mental problems, and later-life mortality and premature death. In addition to combat, military service can also expose soldiers to conditions that threaten immediate or long-term health, including training accidents, dangerous work assignments, deployment to location with infectious diseases such as malaria, and placement in environment conducive to substance abuse, smoking, or heavy drinking (Wilmoth et al 2010). Further, another important mechanism through which military service can adversely affect health in the long run is by fostering difficulties in post-service social integration, as evidenced among Vietnam-era veterans of the US army (Frey-Wouters and Laufer 1986).…”

“…While military service, itself, is often found to be damaging to later-life health status, USbased research also indicates that military service can be associated with positive health outcomes in older adulthood -mainly through selection into the military and some effects of service on subsequent life course outcomes (Wilmoth et al 2010). First, veterans may have better health than nonveterans, at least in early stages of the life course, because the military usually inducts healthy persons for service (i.e., "healthy warrior effect").…”