Department of Veterans’ Affairs and

Department of Defence

Transition & Wellbeing Research Programme - Quick Facts

  • Aim: To understand the impact of contemporary military service on the mental, physical and social health of serving and ex-serving personnel and on their families; and ensure policy and service delivery is responsive to future needs.
  • Cost: $5M ($3.8M DVA, $1.2M Defence) over four years (FY2013/14 -2016/17).
  • Timeline: online survey for serving and ex-serving personnel is expected to commence mid 2015. Respondents will be invited to nominate family members to participate in the subsequent family survey.
  • Structure: 3 major studies which will yield at least 9 reports progressively available from 2016.
  • Lead investigator (Mental Health and Wellbeing Transition Study and Impact of Combat Study): Dr Miranda Van Hooff, Centre for Traumatic Stress Studies, University of Adelaide.
  • Lead Investigator (Family Wellbeing Study): Dr Ben Edwards, Australian Institute of Family Studies.
  • Collaborating partners: University of Adelaide, University of Melbourne, University of New South Wales, Monash University, Young and Well Cooperative Research Centre, and the Australian Institute of Family Studies.

Mental Health and Wellbeing Transition Study / Impact of Combat Study / Family Wellbeing Study
Objective / Establish the mental, physical and social health status of contemporary serving and ex-serving personnel, with a focus on the impact of transition from full time service and pathways to care. / Comprehensively follow-up the mental and physical health of personnel previously identified as being engaged in high risk roles. / Investigate the impact of military service on the wellbeing of the families of serving and ex-serving personnel.
Target Population / Currently serving and personnel who transitioned from service between 2010 and 2014. / Personnel who deployed to the Middle East Areas of Operations (primarily Afghanistan) between 2010 and 2012 / The families of personnel surveyed in the Mental Health and Transition Study and Combat Study will be invited to participate.
Target
Sample
Size / 48000 serving and ex-serving personnel, including:
  • 25 000 transitioned
  • 5 000 reservists
  • 18000 currently serving
/ 2 000 serving and ex-serving personnel (following up individuals identified in previous Defence studies). / Up to 35 000 familiesinvited to participate depending on who is nominated by participants in the online survey.
Lead / Centre for Traumatic Stress Studies (UA) / Centre for Traumatic Stress Studies (UA) / Australian Institute of Family Studies
Reports /
  • Mental Health Prevalence in Transitioned Personnel
  • Pathways to Care
  • Physical Health Status
  • Technology Use and Wellbeing
  • Trajectory of Disorder
  • Wellbeing of Reservists
/
  • Impact of Combat
/
  • Family Wellbeing Report

  • Overview of key Programme findings

March 2015