Soldiering on only goes so far: How a qualitative study on Veteran loneliness in New Zealand influenced support during COVID-19 lockdown

Abstract

This article is under review by the Journal of Military, Veteran and Family Health. Due to the importance of the subject matter, and rapidly changing nature of the topic, a pre-publication version has been released. A final, peer-reviewed version will be published at a later date. ABSTRACT Introduction: On Apr. 25, 2020, Veterans' Affairs in New Zealand (NZ) contacted approximately 3,000 of 8,000 known military Veterans by phone during the SARS-Cov-2 pandemic to ensure they were safe during the government-imposed lockdown. The impetus to this initiative were the findings of a cross-sectional quantitative survey of NZ Veterans 1 , followed by the qualitative survey reported here, both carried out in 2019. The former report found 33% of 89 respondents were lonely, reporting barriers to seeking support, and over half of Veterans feeling uncomfortable in accessing it. Methods: To understand the factors underlying loneliness, a sample of the respondents from the quantitative survey were contacted, with 10 lonely and 10 non-lonely Veterans chosen for purposeful sampling based on gender, age, and ethnicity. Questions were developed based on the barriers previously identified and a literature review. Interviews and inductive thematic analysis were conducted, and themes and sub-themes were developed. Results: Social and geographic isolation, problems with reintegration into the civilian community, and health problems were found to contribute to Veteran loneliness. Social connectedness, particularly to service peers, was the major mitigating factor. Barriers included stoicism and perceptions of ineffective and inaccessible services. Inequity in the Veteran support system also emerged as a barrier for Veterans who had not deployed on operational missions. Discussion: Designing interventions with these barriers in mind, and ensuring equity of access to support, should help combat Veteran loneliness.