New Veterans Worry Most About Their Health

Health concerns are the most important readjustment challenge veterans face in the first year after leaving military service, according to a just-released study that looked at nearly 10,000 veterans who left the military in fall 2016.

Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) researchers conducted surveys on health, social relationships and work for veterans during their first year of transition to civilian life. They found that 53 percent of them said they had chronic physical health conditions and about 33 percent reported chronic mental health conditions at both three and nine months after leaving the military.

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The most commonly reported health problems were chronic pain, sleep disorders, anxiety and depression.

Satisfaction with work, relationships

Despite their health issues, many veterans were satisfied with both their work and social relationships. More than half had found work within three months, three-quarters were in intimate relationships, and two-thirds were in regular contact with friends and extended family.

However, the study revealed that the proportion of veterans reporting their ability to function well at work declined over time after they left the service. Dawne Vogt, corresponding author for the study published in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine, suggested that this could be because of health concerns, which are known to erode broader well-being over time.

"What remains to be seen is whether those veterans with health conditions, which were more commonly experienced by deployed veterans, continue to maintain high levels of well-being in other life domains over time,” said Vogt, a research psychologist in the Women's Health Sciences Division at the National Center for Post Traumatic Stress Disorder in the VA Boston Healthcare System.

Veterans who participated in the study were from all branches of service, and on average, they had nearly 11 years of military service, including nearly two combat deployments. Among them, 75 percent were non-officers and 23 percent served in combat.