Common questions and answers

What is the Vietnam Veterans’ Family Study about?
Who is doing the study?
Who is eligible to participate in the study?
How can I take part in the study?
What if my details change before I’ve been contacted by the Family Study Program?
I’m interested in becoming a participant in the study. What about my family?
I have received an invitation, do I have to take part in the study?
What happens after I register?
Who will see the information that I give?
I am a child of a Vietnam veteran and I’m fine. Why should I participate?
I am not related to a Vietnam veteran. Why should I participate?
Who will benefit from taking part in the study?
What can I expect in the study?
What will it cost to participate? Will I receive any rewards?
What if I have some concerns or questions?
How can I find out more about the progress of the study?

What is the Vietnam Veterans’ Family Study about?

The study will help us to better understand the health and wellbeing of the families of Vietnam veterans. It will look at the physical, mental and social health of veterans’ families and increase our knowledge about the longer term effects of serving in Vietnam for veterans and their family members. An important part of the study will be to compare mortality rates in Vietnam veterans’ families with the families of servicemen who did not go to Vietnam.

Who is doing the study?

The study is being managed by the Department of Veterans’ Affairs (DVA). The research work will be done by external researchers from academic institutions who have appropriate skills and expertise. They will be chosen by competitive tender.

Who is eligible to participate in the study?

The Vietnam Veterans’ Family Study will include Vietnam veterans, their partners, ex-partners, children and step-children. We will also involve siblings of Vietnam veterans and their families (including children and step-children) as comparison groups. A further comparison group will be the families (including children and step-children) of people who served in the military in the Vietnam era, but did not serve in Vietnam. The registration process will determine if you are eligible for the study. Participants must be aged 18 years or over.

How can I take part in the study?

We are sending invitations to approximately 10,000 Vietnam veterans who served in the Army. These veterans will be randomly selected from the listing on the Nominal Roll of Vietnam veterans. The main comparison group for the study will be members of the Defence Force who served in the Army during the Vietnam War era (1962-1975) and did not deploy to Vietnam.

Veterans and members who receive invitations will be asked to encourage their family members to participate in the study.

If you or the veteran that you are related to do not receive an invitation, you can still take part in the study by registering your interest to participate. Please call DVA’s Health Study Line on 1800 502 302 to register your interest.

What if my details change before I’ve been contacted by the Family Study Program?

It may be some time before you are contacted again once you express your interest to participate. It is crucial that your contact details remain up to date, so that we can contact you in the future. To change your contact details call DVA’s Health Study Line on 1800 502 302, email healthstudy@dva.gov.au or send your new details by post to:

Family Study Program
Department of Veterans' Affairs
PO Box 21
WODEN ACT 2606

I’m interested in becoming a participant in the study. What about my family?

You can only express interest yourself. You can not nominate other family members or provide their contact details to the Family Study Program. Each person must register their interest themselves.

If you would like to invite your family members to take part in the study, you can refer them to this website. They can also call DVA’s Health Study Line on 1800 502 302 for more information.

I have received an invitation, do I have to take part in the study?

No, participating in the study is entirely voluntary. If you decide to express your interest in the study, you can withdraw your interest at any time by calling DVA’s Health Study Line 1800 502 302.

What happens after I register?

Registration will begin mid-2008. Registration will involve providing information (such as your name, date of birth, address and telephone number) so that we can contact you in the future. We will also need some details of your family history so we can determine if you are eligible for the study.

When the registration process is complete, the study proper can begin. The registration process may take some time, so it is important that you keep us informed of any changes to your contact details once you have registered. The main study will involve completing a survey questionnaire and there will be a separate consent process for participating.

Who will see the information that I give?

Only a small number of DVA staff will have access to the information you provide. This information will only be used to compile a list of potential participants for the study.

Participating in the study will not in any way affect your pension, benefits or any health services you are entitled to from DVA. Any information you provide will only be used for research purposes.

We will keep confidential all personal records related to the study. However, there are some circumstances in which the law may require us to show your information to a court. Information will be stored securely on an electronic database with access limited to staff of the Family Study Program via a password. The final results of the study will be the combined information we have gathered from all participants and no individuals will be identified.

I am a child of a Vietnam veteran and I’m fine. Why should I participate?

The study will aim to identify what factors affect health and wellbeing in families of veterans. To do this, we need a broad and representative group of participants – not only those who feel they have suffered because of Vietnam service, but also those who feel they haven’t suffered.

The study will help DVA to provide suitable programs and services for the Vietnam veteran community. You might not directly benefit from taking part, but the knowledge we obtain could help others.

I am not related to a Vietnam veteran. Why should I participate?

We need a broad and representative group of participants to act as a comparison group so we can get comprehensive and scientifically valid results. To assess the impact of military service in Vietnam, we need military personnel from the Vietnam-era who did not deploy to Vietnam, together with their partners and children to participate.

This will help us to work out whether the health of Vietnam veterans’ families is different to other military families in the community.

Your participation in this study will be greatly appreciated. Although you may not receive direct benefit, the knowledge we obtain could help others.

Who will benefit from taking part in the study?

The study will provide us with an insight into the health of the families of Vietnam veterans. It will look at the factors or characteristics that help build resilience in families of veterans and will also look at risk factors that could affect health and wellbeing of Vietnam veterans and their families.

What can I expect in the study?

If you take part in the study, you will be required to fill out a survey. This will be a comprehensive questionnaire and will take time to complete. The study may also raise unpleasant memories for some participants. If you are a child of a Vietnam veteran, regardless of age, and would like to discuss these issues with a counsellor, you can call the VVCS - Veterans and Veterans Families Counselling Service on 1800 011 046.

What will it cost to participate in the study? Will I receive any rewards?

The study is free for eligible participants. There are no financial rewards for taking part. Although you may not receive direct benefit from your participation, others may ultimately benefit from the knowledge we obtain.

Participating in the study will not in any way affect your pension, benefits or any health services you are entitled to from DVA. Any information you provide will be used only for the purposes of the research.

What if I have some concerns or questions?

If you have any questions about the study, you can call us on 1800 502 302.

How can I find out more about the progress of the study?

The first release of study results will occur in 2009. The News Update page will provide regular information on the progress of the study. For more information call DVA’s Health Study Line on 1800 502 302.