Evidence map›Paper›PMID 37200312›Full record

SynthesisPloS one2023

The military spouse experience of living alongside their serving/veteran partner with a mental health issue: A systematic review and narrative synthesis.

Emma Senior, Amanda Clarke, Gemma Wilson-Menzfeld

Open access · goldAbstract readSystematic Review
In one paragraph

Synthesis in PloS one, 2023. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 7 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
7citing papers in PubMed, 1 pooled it
4.4field-weighted citation impact, top 6% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

7 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 14 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Pooled it
  2. Mental health and self-compassion in military couples during wartime.Psychological trauma : theory, research, practice and policy · 2026
    Article
  3. Article
  4. Article
  5. Article
  6. Article
  7. Observational
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

3 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.

Emma SeniorDepartment of Nursing, Midwifery and Health, Northumbria University, Newcastle-Upon-Tyne, United Kingdom.ORCID 0000-0001-6099-3479
Amanda ClarkeDepartment of Nursing, Midwifery and Health, Northumbria University, Newcastle-Upon-Tyne, United Kingdom.
Gemma Wilson-MenzfeldDepartment of Nursing, Midwifery and Health, Northumbria University, Newcastle-Upon-Tyne, United Kingdom.
Northumbria University · GB

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

introductionMilitary healthcare studies have reported a wide range of mental health issues amongst military personnel. Globally, mental health issues are one of the main causes of ill health. Military personnel have a greater prevalence of mental health issues than that of the general population. The impact of mental health issues can be wide and far reaching for family and carers. This systematic narrative review explores the military spouse experience of living alongside their serving or veteran partner with a mental health issue.

methodsThe systematic review performed was based on the PRISMA guide for searching, screening, selecting papers for data extraction and evaluation. Studies were identified from CINHAL, ASSIA, Proquest Psychology, Proquest Nursing & Allied Health source, Proquest Dissertations & Theses, ETHOS, PsychArticles, Hospital collection, Medline, Science Direct Freedom Collection and hand searching of citations and reference lists.

resultsTwenty-seven studies were included in the narrative synthesis. Five overarching themes from the experiences of military spouses' living alongside their serving/veteran partners mental health issue were identified: caregiver burden, intimate relationships, psychological/psychosocial effects on the spouse, mental health service provision and spouse's knowledge and management of symptoms.

conclusionsThe systematic review and narrative synthesis identified that the majority of studies focused on spouses of veterans, very few were specific to serving military personnel, but similarities were noted. Findings suggest that care burden and a negative impact on the intimate relationship is evident, therefore highlight a need to support and protect the military spouse and their serving partner. Likewise, there is a need for greater knowledge, access and inclusion of the military spouse, in the care and treatment provision of their serving partner's mental health issue.

Indexed as

Mental Health ServicesMilitary PersonnelVeteransHumansMental HealthSpouses

Identifiers

PMID37200312
PMCPMC10194995
OpenAlexW4377046913

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.