Qualification of studies conducted on the mental health status of veterans: A systematic review

Abstract

Introduction: This study systematically reviewed veteran mental health studies performed at the national level.Method: We used qualitative methods to systematically review information in the domestic research database on veteran mental health, including research projects, articles, and abstracts from seminars. The study population included archival sources, and data were collected using the APA-based protocol for systematic review of studies and were classified using the Marshall and Rossman model. Consequential steps included organizing, and classifying the information, answering questions, and developing a conceptual model for classifying information, and compiling a report.Result: The results showed that among 257 studies in the field of veteran mental health, 42%, 39%, and 19% were published as articles, research projects, and abstracts presented at seminars or conferences, respectively. Overall, 75.26% and 16.72% of these studies were conducted on the mental health of veterans and their families, respectively. The content of these studies were ranked in categories, including mental disorders (34.68%), mental health (21.37%), family (16.94%), psychological treatment, intervention (9.68%), quality of life (8.06%), welfare issues (3.63%), social issues (2.42%), occupation (2.02%), and life skills (1.21%). The results showed that research on veteran mental health in the three previous decades is growing.Conclusion: The number of studies conducted on veterans in terms of population, subject, and methodology has been growing, but the studies lack cohesion.