A qualitative analysis of meaning-making and mental health among OIF/OEF veterans.

OBJECTIVE

After combat, veterans may experience mental health symptomology and attempt to make meaning from their experiences. The present study qualitatively examined the mental health effects of deployment and meaning-making among Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF) or Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF) veterans.

METHOD

OIF/OEF veterans who were exposed to combat (N = 14) participated in semi-structured interviews to assess how their perspectives had changed post-deployment. Most participants (86%) were male, with a mean age of 30.

RESULTS

Veterans described issues post-combat that caused psychological distress or promoted distancing from others. Veterans also discussed factors that could promote or hinder meaning-making, including perceptions of growth, changed global beliefs, and disillusionment. Finally, veterans described psychological reactions to death, which could be related to moral injury.

CONCLUSION

Mental health concerns, meaning-making, and consideration of mortality appear to characterize veterans' experiences post-deployment. These constructs may be important for clinicians to consider when working with OIF/OEF veterans.