The report matches DVA administrative data with community data from the Student Outcomes Survey (SOS) and the Household Income and Labour Dynamics in Australia (HILDA) survey, to better understand potential workforce outcomes for DVA clients. The report provides a predictive analysis of the impact that health conditions, medical discharge status, and service type, have on a veteran’s ability to look for and participate in work assuming community trends apply to veteran groups. The findings are not based on actual veteran employment outcomes. Nevertheless, the study is informative of potential outcomes. DVA’s rehabilitation program is aligned with the study findings.

It is important to note that the findings should be read in context of the report and as they are general in nature, they should not be considered applicable at an individual level. A one page overview of the study is also attached.

Further information:

• Quick Facts Sheet (PDF 125 KB)
• Quick Facts Sheet (DOCX 255 KB)

DVA commissioned this study in 2011 to gain a better understanding of the experiences of reservists. The field-based component of the study consisted of face-to-face, semi-structured interviews with 39 ADF reservists, primarily from the Army with a smaller number from the Air Force. The text-based component centred on a review of the academic literature, as well as a review of historical documents and an inventory of support services available to reservists.

The study found that reservists vary in the way they understand their reservist identity. Some identify more with a ‘full-timer’ identity and feel a close connection with ADF membership and military skills, while some identify more as a ‘part-timer’ and place stronger emphasis on their civilian professional skills. The researcher found that the extent to which reservists identify with the ADF can affect outcomes including their health and wellbeing, cohesion with their unit and accessing of support services.

The reservists study has provided DVA with useful information about the experiences and needs of a sample of contemporary reservists. As a qualitative pilot study, the report is exploratory in nature. It does not quantify the extent to which the views expressed by the participants would be shared among reservists and reservist veterans more generally. Nevertheless, the report provides a useful understanding of issues experienced by the reservists interviewed and identified in the academic literature.

The report has informed DVA’s understanding of how reservists identify and the potential implications of this for DVA’s communication and engagement with reservists. It has also informed a focus on reservists in planning future DVA research. On 11 June 2014, the Government announced a joint DVA/Defence Transition and Wellbeing Research Programme which includes a nested study on reservists.

Reservists can access similar DVA support and services to those available to Permanent ADF members. For details on reservists’ entitlements, please see DVA website and/or the Claims for reservists. Reservists who are in doubt about what DVA services or support they could access are encouraged to contact DVA.

Findings from the 2006 Survey of Veterans, War Widows and their Carers

This study of the health and wellbeing of veterans and war widow(er)s has found that they are generally fit and healthy with active social lives despite most being over 75 with chronic conditions that limit their mobility and communication.

The Your Lives, Your Needs 2006 survey—the fifth time the survey has been undertaken—involved more than 2,000 veterans and war widows(er)s and 300 of their carers. For the first time it included younger veterans, surveying 400 covered by the Safety, Rehabilitation and Compensation Act 1988.

The survey had a broad scope, covering many aspects of veterans’ health and wellness, including lifestyle choices, levels of independence, health status and the use of community services.

More than half of the veterans and war widows reported that they had received some kind of community service in the previous six months. Vision impairment was the most commonly reported health condition. About 300 of the interviewees, or one in seven, reported that they had a carer. Carers were more likely to assist older veterans and war widows take medicine and dress their wounds.

The SRCA clients reported generally less satisfactory social activity, citing poor health as the major barrier. Mobility was a major issue for this group. Many had young children and this group was twice as likely to have a carer than the older veteran group. The carer’s main role was to do the household shopping.

A booklet of the Your Lives, Your Needs 2006 survey results has been distributed to participants and veterans’ stakeholders groups.

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.