The mental health and well-being among partners and children of military personnel and veterans with a combat-related physical injury: A scoping review of the quantitative research.

BACKGROUND: Little research has focused on the impact of combat-related physical injuries on the mental health and well-being of partners and children of military personnel and veterans. OBJECTIVES: This scoping review identifies the consequences of combat-related physical injuries (CRPIs) on the mental health and well-being of partners and children of military personnel and veterans. METHODS: Quantitative articles examining mental health and well-being in partners and children of military personnel and veterans with CRPIs from the UK, US, Canada, New Zealand, Australia, European Union (EU), or Israel published since 2000 were identified. RESULTS: Seven articles were included, six from the US. The findings indicate the potential negative and positive impacts CRPIs can have on the health and well-being of partners of military partners and the negative impacts identified among children, and how this differs from psychological injuries. CONCLUSIONS: This scoping review highlights the lack of research focusing on the impact of CRPIs on the family members of military personnel and veterans. Additional research is needed to understand how psychological injuries might have different effects on the mental health and well-being partners and children of military personnel and veterans compared to different types of CRPIs.

Post-traumatic growth among UK military personnel deployed to Iraq or Afghanistan: data from phase 3 of a military cohort study.

BACKGROUND: Post-traumatic growth (PTG) refers to beneficial psychological change following trauma. AIMS: This study explores the sociodemographic, health and deployment-related factors associated with PTG in serving/ex-serving UK armed forces personnel deployed to military operations in Iraq or Afghanistan. METHOD: Multinomial logistic regression analyses were applied to retrospective questionnaire data collected 2014-2016, stratified by gender. PTG scores were split into tertiles of no/very low PTG, low PTG and moderate/large PTG. RESULTS: A total of 1447/4610 male personnel (30.8%) and 198/570 female personnel (34.8%) reported moderate/large PTG. Male personnel were more likely to report moderate/large PTG compared with no/very low PTG if they reported a greater belief of being in serious danger (relative risk ratio (RRR) 2.47, 95% CI 1.68-3.64), were a reservist (RRR 2.37, 95% CI 1.80-3.11), reported good/excellent general health (fair/poor general health: RRR 0.33, 95% CI 0.24-0.46), a greater number of combat experiences, less alcohol use, better mental health, were of lower rank or were younger. Female personnel were more likely to report moderate/large PTG if they were single (in a relationship: RRR 0.40, 95% CI 0.22-0.74), had left military service (RRR 2.34, 95% CI 1.31-4.17), reported better mental health (common mental disorder: RRR 0.37, 95% CI 0.17-0.84), were a reservist, reported a greater number of combat experiences or were younger. Post-traumatic stress disorder had a curvilinear relationship with PTG. CONCLUSIONS: A moderate/large degree of PTG among the UK armed forces is associated with mostly positive health experiences, except for post-traumatic stress disorder.