ArticleBMJ open2021
UK veterans' mental health and well-being before and during the COVID-19 pandemic: a longitudinal cohort study.
Article in BMJ open, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 21 papers.
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Who cites it
21 citing papers in PubMed, 41 citations in OpenAlex.
- Evaluating the Efficacy of the Drinks:Ration Mobile App to Reduce Alcohol Consumption in a Help-Seeking Military Veteran Population: Randomized Controlled Trial.JMIR mHealth and uHealth · 2022Trial
- Experiences of loneliness and their relation to perceived social support, family functioning, and mental health among Canadian Veterans.Journal of military, veteran and family health · 2026Article
- Addressing pandemic-related guilt and shame in U.S. military veterans: A pilot randomized controlled trial of trauma-informed guilt reduction and supportive care therapy.Psychological trauma : theory, research, practice and policy · 2025Article
- Trait Emotion Regulation as a Predictor of Mental Health and Substance Use During a Period of Chronic Stress: A Longitudinal Analysis of US Veterans.Stress and health : journal of the International Society for the Investigation of Stress · 2025Observational
- Impact of COVID-19 on the veteran population: evidence from the Trends in Scottish Veterans Health study.BMJ military health · 2025Article
- Sex Differences in Mental Health-Related Work Incapacity Across Occupational Sectors During the COVID-19 Lockdown in Spain.Healthcare (Basel, Switzerland) · 2025Article
- A Brief Report on Sex-Specific Differences in Persistent Depression, Anxiety, and Loneliness Among Canadian Veterans During the COVID-19 Pandemic.Military medicine · 2025Article
- Structural and functional social support in UK military veterans during the COVID-19 pandemic and associations with mental health and wellbeing: a cross-sectional study.BMC public health · 2025Article
- Factors associated with well-being among treatment-seeking UK Veterans: A cross-sectional study.Journal of military, veteran and family health · 2024Article
- Digital Therapeutic Intervention for Women in the UK Armed Forces Who Consume Alcohol at a Hazardous or Harmful Level: Protocol for a Randomized Controlled Trial.JMIR research protocols · 2023Article
- Associations between sleep difficulties and health outcomes in treatment-seeking veterans.Occupational medicine (Oxford, England) · 2023Article
- Article
- Loneliness among UK Veterans: Associations with quality of life, alcohol misuse, and perceptions of partner drinking.Journal of military, veteran and family health · 2023Article
- Employment and mental health among UK ex-service personnel during the initial period of the COVID-19 pandemic.Journal of military, veteran and family health · 2023Article
- Exploring the trajectory and correlates of social isolation for veterans across a 6-month period during COVID-19.PloS one · 2023Article
- Prospective Association between Smartphone Addiction and Perceived Stress and Moderation of Boredom during COVID-19 in China.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2022Article
- PTSD Symptoms and Coping with COVID-19 Pandemic among Treatment-Seeking Veterans: Prospective Cohort Study.Journal of clinical medicine · 2022Article
- Well-being of Canadian Armed Forces Veterans and Spouses of Veterans During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Protocol for a Prospective Longitudinal Survey.JMIR research protocols · 2022Article
- A quantitative and qualitative examination of the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on U.S. veterans with self-reported anxiety and alcohol use disorder.Frontiers in psychiatry · 2022Article
- Editorial: Mental health services for occupational trauma: Decreasing stigma and increasing access.Frontiers in health services · 2022Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
9 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
objectiveTo investigate the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the health and well-being of UK ex-service personnel (veterans) before and during the pandemic, and to assess associations of COVID-19 experiences and stressors with mental health, alcohol use and loneliness.
designAn additional wave of data was collected from a longitudinal cohort study of the UK Armed Forces.
settingOnline survey June-September 2020.
participantsCohort members were included if they had completed a questionnaire at phase 3 of the King's Centre for Military Health Research health and well-being study (2014-2016), had left the Armed Forces after regular service, were living in the UK, had consented to follow-up and provided a valid email address. Invitation emails were sent to N=3547 with a 44% response rate (n=1562). PRIMARY OUTCOME MEASURES: Common mental health disorders (CMDs) (measured using the General Health Questionnaire, 12 items-cut-off ≥4), hazardous alcohol use (measured using the Alcohol Use Disorder Identification Test, 10 items-cut off ≥8) and loneliness (University of California, Los Angeles, Loneliness Scale- 3 items-cut-off ≥6).
resultsVeterans reported a statistically significant decrease in hazardous drinking of 48.5% to 27.6%, while CMD remained stable (non-statistically significant increase of 24.5% to 26.1%). 27.4% of veterans reported feelings of loneliness. The COVID-19 stressors of reporting difficulties with family/social relationships, boredom and difficulties with health were statistically significantly associated with CMD, hazardous drinking and loneliness, even after adjustment for previous mental health/hazardous alcohol use.
conclusionsOur study suggests a COVID-19 impact on veterans' mental health, alcohol use and loneliness, particularly for those experiencing difficulties with family relationships. Veterans experienced the pandemic in similar ways to the general population and in some cases may have responded in resilient ways. While stable levels of CMD and reduction in alcohol use are positive, there remains a group of veterans who may need mental health and alcohol treatment services.
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