Delivering services to the families of Veterans of current conflicts: A rapid review of outcomes for Veterans

Introduction: Military service affects the health and well-being of both Veterans and their family members, with increasing recognition of the need for support to be provided to Veterans’ families. In 2017 the Australian Department of Veterans’ Affairs commissioned a rapid review of the literature to explore whether the delivery of support services to families of contemporary Veterans results in better outcomes for the Veteran. Methods: A systematic search of the peer-reviewed literature resulted in the extraction of 30 articles, reduced to 29 following quality assessment. We then produced a narrative synthesis of the articles. Results: All of the studies were undertaken in the United States (US). The majority (n = 20) focused on couples/family therapy, in particular, to address post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in Veterans. Discussion: The studies overall reported significant psychological and relational benefit for Veterans when families are supported. However, the diversity of approaches suggests that currently, no one approach suits all family situations. More work is needed to develop interventions that address the broader psychosocial needs of families, such as work commitments and childcare needs, and to evaluate how these might benefit Veterans.