Journal of the Society for Social Work and Research, 2021
Objective: The current literature does not account for how homeless experiences in combination wi... more Objective: The current literature does not account for how homeless experiences in combination with military sexual assault (MSA) are associated with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), depression, and physical health among military veterans. Method: The survey sample included 251 female and 1,249 male U.S. Armed Forces veterans in San Francisco, CA, and Chicago, IL, who reported their housing status during the past 3 months. Three subgroups emerged: housed, those experiencing broad homelessness (e.g., home of another person, hotel), and those experiencing literal homelessness (e.g., shelter, abandoned building). Analysis included (a) six multivariable logistic regressions to understand the relationship of homelessness and mental and physical health and (b) six moderation multivariable logistic regressions demonstrating the interaction of MSA, homeless experiences, and mental and physical health. Results: Female veterans who experienced literal or broad homelessness and MSA were more likely to have PTSD, depression, and/or physical health symptoms than those who were housed and had not experienced MSA. Male veterans who experienced literal or broad homelessness and MSA were more likely to have PTSD, depression, and/or physical health symptoms than those who were housed and had not experienced MSA. Conclusions: Findings demonstrate the cumulative effect of homelessness and MSA, highlighting the need to assess for MSA among veterans experiencing homelessness, to provide trauma-informed care within homeless services, and to support veterans in achieving secure housing.
Research into violence among military personnel has not differentiated between stranger- and fami... more Research into violence among military personnel has not differentiated between stranger- and family-directed violence. While military factors (combat exposure and post-deployment mental health problems) are risk factors for general violence, there has been limited research on their impact on violence within the family environment. This study aims to compare the prevalence of family-directed and stranger-directed violence among a deployed sample of UK military personnel and to explore risk factors associated with both family- and stranger-directed violence. This study utilised data from a large cohort study which collected information by questionnaire from a representative sample of randomly selected deployed UK military personnel (n = 6711). The prevalence of family violence immediately following return from deployment was 3.6% and 7.8% for stranger violence. Family violence was significantly associated with having left service, while stranger violence was associated with younger ag...
Research on intimate partner violence (IPV) in the military has tended to focus on military perso... more Research on intimate partner violence (IPV) in the military has tended to focus on military personnel as perpetrators and civilian partners/spouses as victims. However, studies have found high levels of IPV victimization among military personnel. This article systematically reviews studies of the prevalence of self-reported IPV victimization among military populations. Searches of four electronic databases (Embase, Medline, PsycINFO, and Web of Science) were supplemented by reference list screening. Meta-analyses of the available data were performed, where possible, using the random effects model. This review included 28 studies with a combined sample of 69,808 military participants. Overall, similar or higher prevalence rates of physical IPV victimization were found among males compared to females and this was supported by a meta-analytic subgroup analysis: pooled prevalence of 21% (95% confidence interval [CI] = [17.4, 24.6]) among males and 13.6% among females (95% CI [9.5, 17.7]...
Social Psychiatry and Psychiatric Epidemiology, 2017
Purpose There is growing awareness of the problem of intimate partner violence (IPV) among milita... more Purpose There is growing awareness of the problem of intimate partner violence (IPV) among military populations. IPV victimisation has been shown to be associated with mental disorder. A better understanding of the link between IPV and mental disorder is needed to inform service development to meet the needs of military families. We aimed to systematically review the literature on the association between IPV victimisation and mental health disorders among military personnel. Methods Searches of four electronic databases (Embase, Medline, PsycINFO, and Web of Science) were supplemented by reference list screening. Heterogeneity among studies precluded a meta-analysis. Results Thirteen studies were included. There was stronger evidence for an association between IPV and depression/ alcohol problems than between IPV and PTSD. An association between IPV and mental health problems was more frequently found among veterans compared to active duty personnel. However, the link between IPV and alcohol misuse was more consistently found among active duty samples. Finally, among active duty personnel psychological IPV was more consistently associated with depression/ alcohol problems than physical/sexual IPV. The review highlighted the lack of research on male IPV victimisation in the military. Conclusions There is evidence that the burden of mental health need may be significant among military personnel who are victims of IPV. The influence of attitudes towards gender in the military on research in this area is discussed. Further research is needed to inform development of services and policy to reduce IPV victimisation and the mental health consequences among military personnel.
If citing, it is advised that you check and use the publisher's definitive version for pagination... more If citing, it is advised that you check and use the publisher's definitive version for pagination, volume/issue, and date of publication details. And where the final published version is provided on the Research Portal, if citing you are again advised to check the publisher's website for any subsequent corrections.
Background A proportion of ex-military personnel who develop mental health and social problems en... more Background A proportion of ex-military personnel who develop mental health and social problems end up in the Criminal Justice System. A government review called for better understanding of pathways to offending among ex-military personnel to improve services and reduce reoffending. We utilised data linkage with criminal records to examine the patterns of offending among military personnel after they leave service and the associated risk (including mental health and alcohol problems) and socio-economic protective factors. Method Questionnaire data from a cohort study of 13 856 randomly selected UK military personnel were linked with national criminal records to examine changes in the rates of offending after leaving service. Results All types of offending increased after leaving service, with violent offending being the most prevalent. Offending was predicted by mental health and alcohol problems: probable PTSD, symptoms of common mental disorder and aggressive behaviour (verbal, pro...
Journal of the Society for Social Work and Research, 2021
Objective: The current literature does not account for how homeless experiences in combination wi... more Objective: The current literature does not account for how homeless experiences in combination with military sexual assault (MSA) are associated with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), depression, and physical health among military veterans. Method: The survey sample included 251 female and 1,249 male U.S. Armed Forces veterans in San Francisco, CA, and Chicago, IL, who reported their housing status during the past 3 months. Three subgroups emerged: housed, those experiencing broad homelessness (e.g., home of another person, hotel), and those experiencing literal homelessness (e.g., shelter, abandoned building). Analysis included (a) six multivariable logistic regressions to understand the relationship of homelessness and mental and physical health and (b) six moderation multivariable logistic regressions demonstrating the interaction of MSA, homeless experiences, and mental and physical health. Results: Female veterans who experienced literal or broad homelessness and MSA were more likely to have PTSD, depression, and/or physical health symptoms than those who were housed and had not experienced MSA. Male veterans who experienced literal or broad homelessness and MSA were more likely to have PTSD, depression, and/or physical health symptoms than those who were housed and had not experienced MSA. Conclusions: Findings demonstrate the cumulative effect of homelessness and MSA, highlighting the need to assess for MSA among veterans experiencing homelessness, to provide trauma-informed care within homeless services, and to support veterans in achieving secure housing.
Research into violence among military personnel has not differentiated between stranger- and fami... more Research into violence among military personnel has not differentiated between stranger- and family-directed violence. While military factors (combat exposure and post-deployment mental health problems) are risk factors for general violence, there has been limited research on their impact on violence within the family environment. This study aims to compare the prevalence of family-directed and stranger-directed violence among a deployed sample of UK military personnel and to explore risk factors associated with both family- and stranger-directed violence. This study utilised data from a large cohort study which collected information by questionnaire from a representative sample of randomly selected deployed UK military personnel (n = 6711). The prevalence of family violence immediately following return from deployment was 3.6% and 7.8% for stranger violence. Family violence was significantly associated with having left service, while stranger violence was associated with younger ag...
Research on intimate partner violence (IPV) in the military has tended to focus on military perso... more Research on intimate partner violence (IPV) in the military has tended to focus on military personnel as perpetrators and civilian partners/spouses as victims. However, studies have found high levels of IPV victimization among military personnel. This article systematically reviews studies of the prevalence of self-reported IPV victimization among military populations. Searches of four electronic databases (Embase, Medline, PsycINFO, and Web of Science) were supplemented by reference list screening. Meta-analyses of the available data were performed, where possible, using the random effects model. This review included 28 studies with a combined sample of 69,808 military participants. Overall, similar or higher prevalence rates of physical IPV victimization were found among males compared to females and this was supported by a meta-analytic subgroup analysis: pooled prevalence of 21% (95% confidence interval [CI] = [17.4, 24.6]) among males and 13.6% among females (95% CI [9.5, 17.7]...
Social Psychiatry and Psychiatric Epidemiology, 2017
Purpose There is growing awareness of the problem of intimate partner violence (IPV) among milita... more Purpose There is growing awareness of the problem of intimate partner violence (IPV) among military populations. IPV victimisation has been shown to be associated with mental disorder. A better understanding of the link between IPV and mental disorder is needed to inform service development to meet the needs of military families. We aimed to systematically review the literature on the association between IPV victimisation and mental health disorders among military personnel. Methods Searches of four electronic databases (Embase, Medline, PsycINFO, and Web of Science) were supplemented by reference list screening. Heterogeneity among studies precluded a meta-analysis. Results Thirteen studies were included. There was stronger evidence for an association between IPV and depression/ alcohol problems than between IPV and PTSD. An association between IPV and mental health problems was more frequently found among veterans compared to active duty personnel. However, the link between IPV and alcohol misuse was more consistently found among active duty samples. Finally, among active duty personnel psychological IPV was more consistently associated with depression/ alcohol problems than physical/sexual IPV. The review highlighted the lack of research on male IPV victimisation in the military. Conclusions There is evidence that the burden of mental health need may be significant among military personnel who are victims of IPV. The influence of attitudes towards gender in the military on research in this area is discussed. Further research is needed to inform development of services and policy to reduce IPV victimisation and the mental health consequences among military personnel.
If citing, it is advised that you check and use the publisher's definitive version for pagination... more If citing, it is advised that you check and use the publisher's definitive version for pagination, volume/issue, and date of publication details. And where the final published version is provided on the Research Portal, if citing you are again advised to check the publisher's website for any subsequent corrections.
Background A proportion of ex-military personnel who develop mental health and social problems en... more Background A proportion of ex-military personnel who develop mental health and social problems end up in the Criminal Justice System. A government review called for better understanding of pathways to offending among ex-military personnel to improve services and reduce reoffending. We utilised data linkage with criminal records to examine the patterns of offending among military personnel after they leave service and the associated risk (including mental health and alcohol problems) and socio-economic protective factors. Method Questionnaire data from a cohort study of 13 856 randomly selected UK military personnel were linked with national criminal records to examine changes in the rates of offending after leaving service. Results All types of offending increased after leaving service, with violent offending being the most prevalent. Offending was predicted by mental health and alcohol problems: probable PTSD, symptoms of common mental disorder and aggressive behaviour (verbal, pro...
Uploads
Papers by Jamie Kwan