“A Hidden Community”: The Experiences of Help-Seeking and Receiving Mental Health Treatment in U.K. Women Veterans. A Qualitative Study

Women veterans are often underserved in both the research into and provision of mental health treatment. This study explored women veterans’ experiences of mental health difficulties, help-seeking, and treatment provision. Semistructured telephone interviews with 19 U.K. women veterans who met crite...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inArmed forces and society Vol. 51; no. 1; pp. 22 - 45
Main Authors Campbell, Gavin M., Williamson, Victoria, Murphy, Dominic
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published Los Angeles, CA SAGE Publications 01.01.2025
Transaction Inc
Subjects
Health behavior
Help seeking behavior
Mental health
Mental health services
Post traumatic stress disorder
Uniqueness
Veterans
Women
trauma
help-seeking
treatment
veteran
military
female
women
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Summary:Women veterans are often underserved in both the research into and provision of mental health treatment. This study explored women veterans’ experiences of mental health difficulties, help-seeking, and treatment provision. Semistructured telephone interviews with 19 U.K. women veterans who met criteria for posttraumatic stress disorder were conducted and Reflexive Thematic Analysis was used in analysis. Three superordinate themes encompassing participants’ experiences were developed: (a) attitudes toward mental health and help-seeking; (b) the need to acknowledge the uniqueness of women veterans; and (c) the structural elements of care provision. The findings indicate that women veterans have additional gender-specific challenges and needs concerning tailored pathways into help and support, as well as the environment and modality of treatment delivery, as distinct from veteran men.
ISSN:0095-327X
1556-0848
DOI:10.1177/0095327X231182140