Experiences of military transition

Periods of military transition contain unique experiences. For those serving this includes the transition to military deployment, and upon leaving the armed forces, this includes the transition into civilian life. Given the implementation of Britain’s armed forces community covenant, which aims to bridge the gap between military and civilian communities, further exploration of the needs of military personnel is required. This thesis informs understanding of military transition experiences at a time when, following the recent restructuring of the UK armed forces the number of veterans, reservist personnel and their families requiring care from the National Health Service is likely to increase significantly. Chapter one is a critical review of the qualitative research exploring the influence of military deployment on women military spouses. Following both database and manual searches twelve studies were included and reviewed. Spouses described complex experiences that contained both challenges and opportunities for positive growth. Differences between spouses of those from reserve or regular armed forces are explored. The review highlights the heterogeneity of the population and the need to modify current conceptualisations of deployment experiences, to understand the complexity of individual needs. Suggestions for future research are discussed. Chapter two is a qualitative research study that explored Army veterans’ lived experiences of relationships built with military comrades, and how these might have influenced the transition into civilian life. Using interpretative phenomenological analysis, it provides an in-depth account of military relational experiences and the integral role that these experiences had in the formation and maintenance of military identity. Implications for future research, alongside suggestions for clinical practice and service development are discussed. Chapter three is reflective account, exploring the interface between the researcher’s self and the research process. It explores the position of the researcher and the parallels between the research topic and their own impending professional transition into qualified life