In Australian-first research, the Department of Veterans’ Affairs (DVA) commissioned Phoenix Australia – Centre for Posttraumatic Mental Health to examine the rates of intimate partner violence among current- and ex-serving Australian Defence Force (ADF) personnel, using data collected in 2015 from a large-scale study of current (at the time) and recently (then) transitioned ADF personnel and their families.

For the purposes of this research, the Transition and Wellbeing Research Programme data was used to:

• examine the rates of intimate partner violence within the Australian veteran community;
• identify vulnerable groups; and
• provide an understanding of the implications of intimate partner violence on help-seeking and service utilisation.

Findings from the study suggest an elevated number of veteran families having experienced IPV, identifying them as a vulnerable cohort. 

Future application

The findings highlight opportunities for continued action to address intimate partner violence in the veteran community, a national priority for the Australian Government and the DVA.

The research will inform and enhance work already underway, including DVA’s Family and Domestic Violence Strategy 2020-2025, the National Plan to End Violence Against Women and Children 2022-2032, and the Defence Strategy for Preventing and Responding to Family and Domestic Violence 2023-2028.

How can we support you

If you, or someone you know, is at risk of violence, call Open Arms – Veterans & Families Counselling on 1800 011 046. In an emergency, call triple zero (000).

The Department of Veterans' Affairs commissioned the University of Newcastle via its College of Health, Medicine and Wellbeing – Centre for Brain and Mental Health Research, to conduct a Horizon Scan of mental health and wellbeing service delivery, with a specific focus on veterans and families. The objective of the Horizon Scan was to identify trends, threats, opportunities, drivers of change and alternative approaches for the department's Mental Health and Wellbeing Services Division (MHWSD) and the broader mental health, wellbeing and veteran and family support sectors, in order to inform the work of the MHWSD Service Review and Transformation Program.

The Horizon Scan was conducted between April and November 2022, and included consultation with representatives from the veteran community (including families), veteran support organisations, academia, government, and professional experts and organisations.

The aim of this project was to review the literature in relation to how moral injury is conceptualised, models of moral injury, linkages between moral injury and common mental health issues, and the effectiveness of moral injury interventions in veteran and military populations.

In order to answer these questions, a narrative literature review and a REA were conducted.

The aim of this review was to determine the prevalence rate of substance use disorder in contemporary ex-serving veterans. Specifically, nicotine, alcohol, drug, and non-specified substance use disorder prevalence rates will be reviewed.

This aim of this review was to assess the current standing of public and self-anti-stigma interventions and investigate what has been shown to be an effective intervention to reduce stigma at the public and individual level.

The aim of this review was to examine the evidence for the effectiveness of a number of therapies considered to be emerging interventions for the treatment of adults with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Three broad categories of emerging interventions for the treatment of adults with PTSD were considered. These included psychological interventions (mindfulness and power therapies), physical therapies (acupuncture), and a range of experiential psychotherapies including adventure therapy, art therapy, music therapy, or animal therapy (canine therapy, equine therapy).

The aim of this review was to examine the efficacy of stepped care for the treatment of adults with depression or anxiety disorders. In consultation with the Department of Veteran’s Affairs (DVA) a number of focal conditions were identified and the evidence to support the use of stepped care in the treatment of these was reviewed. This was an iterative process between ACPMH and DVA to capture the conditions of most relevance to DVA. The conditions initially identified were depressive disorders and anxiety disorders (i.e. GAD and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD)); however, an initial search of the literature suggested that other anxiety disorders such as OCD might also be considered, as well as anxiety disorders and symptoms thereof taken together.

The aim of the current review was to examine the scientific literature for evidence of effective interventions for veterans with sleep disturbances. It is important to note that guidelines and several systematic reviews exist for the treatment of insomnia in adults however; there were no specific guidelines or systematic reviews pertaining to the treatment of sleep disturbances and/or insomnia in veterans specifically. Findings from civilian adult populations may not necessarily apply to veterans, who differ from community samples in several ways, including higher rates of psychiatric disorders and military-related causes of sleep disturbances. As such, veterans with sleep disturbances may differ in response to treatment compared to a community population.

Despite increasing numbers of veterans returning from deployment with problematic anger and aggression, the treatment of anger within this population has not been thoroughly investigated. In contrast to areas of research such as posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), there has been comparatively little attention directed toward other less clinically prominent behavioural outcomes of combat exposure that still have the potential to adversely impact the health and well-being of returning service members. The aim of this Rapid Evidence Assessment was to examine the scientific literature for evidence of effective interventions veterans with problematic anger and aggression.

In the past decade there has been growing recognition of the psychosocial factors that increase vulnerability to chronic pain, and a shift towards focusing on psychological interventions that may address some of these vulnerabilities. The aim of the current review was to examine the efficacy of psychological interventions and multi-modal interventions that include a psychological component, for the treatment of chronic pain. This REA focused on those categories of psychological and multi-modal therapies that are most commonly used to treat chronic pain in adults, and which were identified as being of most relevance to DVA. Specifically, the REA examined literature relating to the efficacy of cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT), multidisciplinary pain management programs (MPMPs), mindfulness-based interventions and behavioural therapy.