Veterans and Families Institute for Military Social Research, Anglia Ruskin University, Chelmsford, UK.
Health Soc Care Community. 2022 Nov;30(6):e3966-e3976. doi: 10.1111/hsc.13790. Epub 2022 Mar 15.
International research suggests that female veterans may experience gender-specific barriers to accessing veteran-specific care. This is the first UK study to report an exploratory qualitative investigation of the provision of health and social care support for female veterans and whether this support meets their needs. The research team carried out 13 virtual semi-structured interviews between October and November 2020, with representatives from statutory and third sector organisations that provide support to UK female veterans. Ethical approval was obtained from the Anglia Ruskin University School of Education and Social Care Research Ethics Committee. The authors identified four overarching themes and nine sub-themes in a thematic analysis following the framework outlined by Braun and Clarke (2006). The findings of this study suggest that practitioners from statutory and third sector organisations perceive the UK veteran support sector as male-dominated and male-targeted, with a lack of consideration for female veterans' needs. Participants reported a lack of engagement with veteran-specific services by female veterans and suggested that women either do not identify with the 'veteran' label or do not feel comfortable accessing male-dominated veteran-specific services. The need for specific services for female veterans split participant opinion, with most of those who were female veterans themselves highlighting the importance of 'safe spaces' for women, particularly those who had experienced gender-based violence during military service. Others felt that the veteran support sector currently lacked evidence of women's unique support needs, and an examination of current provision was required. The authors recommend a thorough assessment of UK female veterans' health and social care needs, alongside development of training and guidance for health and social care professionals, to ensure that veteran services are adequately developed, tailored and targeted with women's needs in mind.
国际研究表明，女性退伍军人在获得特定退伍军人护理方面可能会遇到性别特定的障碍。这是第一项报告英国对女性退伍军人的健康和社会关怀支持的提供情况以及该支持是否满足其需求的探索性定性调查的研究。研究小组在 2020 年 10 月至 11 月期间进行了 13 次虚拟半结构化访谈，受访者来自提供英国女性退伍军人支持的法定和第三部门组织。本研究获得了安格利亚鲁斯金大学教育与社会关怀研究伦理委员会的伦理批准。作者在按照 Braun 和 Clarke（2006 年）概述的框架进行主题分析后，确定了四个总体主题和九个子主题。这项研究的结果表明，法定和第三部门组织的从业者认为英国退伍军人支持部门以男性为主导和针对男性，而对女性退伍军人的需求考虑不足。参与者报告说，女性退伍军人很少参与特定退伍军人的服务，并且认为女性要么不认同“退伍军人”这个标签，要么觉得不舒服去参与以男性为主导的特定退伍军人服务。为女性退伍军人提供特定服务的需求使参与者意见不一，大多数本身是女性退伍军人的人强调了为女性提供“安全空间”的重要性，特别是那些在服役期间经历过性别暴力的女性。其他人则认为，退伍军人支持部门目前缺乏女性独特支持需求的证据，需要对当前的服务提供情况进行审查。作者建议对英国女性退伍军人的健康和社会关怀需求进行全面评估，同时为卫生和社会保健专业人员制定培训和指导，以确保退伍军人服务得到充分发展，适合女性的需求，并针对女性的需求进行调整。
