FiMT Research Centre Annual Conference 2023
The Forces in Mind Trust (FiMT) Research Centre proudly hosted its Annual Conference on the 8th March 2023 at the Royal College of Psychiatrists in London – a day filled with topical debate and lively discussion on key themes in research, practice, and policy impacting ex-Service personnel and their families. The conference was attended by a range of delegates, including service providers, researchers, and members of government organizations.
Jim MacLeod, Chair of the Board of Directors of Forces in Mind Trust (FiMT), opened the day with a warm welcome and reflection on what a privilege it is to be able to continue supporting the Armed Forces through his role as Chair. This also marked Jim’s first FiMT Research Centre Conference since he took the position of Chair in December 2022.
The first session, chaired by Ruth Harris, Co-Director of the FiMT Research Centre, started with a talk from Sam Tillotson from the Office for Veterans’ Affairs (OVA) about how the OVA has been harnessing data and evidence to deliver the Strategy for our Veterans and how they will continue to do so going forwards. This includes making existing government data about veterans accessible to others through a Data Dashboard, generating an action plan from the recent evidence gathered from research commissioned by YouGov into public perceptions of veterans, and attending a Five Eyes Ministerial Conference to share and learn from other Five Eyes countries (Australia, Canada, New Zealand, and the US) at a government level.
The Rt Hon. Lord Etherton followed with a much-anticipated update on the LGBT Veterans Independent Review. Following the ban on LGBT individuals serving in the UK Armed Forces between 1967 and 2000, the review explores the resulting impact on those who served during that time. The Rt Hon. Lord Etherton shared some harrowing accounts which had been submitted to the review by LGBT+ personnel who suffered the devastating consequences of the ban. This included reports of discrimination, outing of their sexuality to their family and social networks, along with physical and sexual assault. Whilst distressing and emotional to hear, these testimonies are integral to understanding the difficulties this group has faced and highlight a vital need for effective recommendations to support LGBT+ veterans going forward.
The first session concluded with a talk from Professor Beverly Bergman (University of Glasgow) who shared recent research evidence about the mental health of middle-aged veterans in Scotland. At the heart of this discussion was a call for improved access to non-clinical services, such as social clubs to offset social isolation, and greater age-awareness from clinical services. Overall, this first session neatly demonstrated the coming together of research and policy for the benefit of ex-Service Personnel and their families, including those previously overlooked.
Given that the conference coincided with International Women’s Day, it was fitting that the second session was focused on women ex-Service personnel, and was chaired by Professor Nicola Fear, Co-Director of the FiMT Research Centre. This session included a talk from a historical perspective, given by Professor Edgar Jones (King’s College London). In his talk, Professor Jones shared how the limited recognition and equal rights of women ex-Service personnel has a long history, and that despite some transition barriers easing, many still face nuanced challenges post-service.
Preliminary findings from the SUSTAIN study, which is currently investigating barriers to women veterans making a successful and sustainable transition to civilian life in the UK, complimented Professor Jones’ historical perspective. Starting with an introduction from Veteran co-researcher Vicky Langston, emphasising the importance of supporting women veterans through transition, Bethany Croak and Dr Laura Rafferty (King’s Centre for Military Health Research (KCMHR)), went on to present early insights from their women veteran’s advisory group, alongside stakeholder and support service reviews.
Women veterans' access to support was central to the next talk from Professor Matthew Fossey and Abigail Wood (Veterans & Families Institute for Military Social Research (VFI), Anglia Ruskin University (ARU)). Their research is focused on developing guidance for the delivery of mental health care to women veterans. Focus groups and interviews capturing women veterans' perspectives revealed unique service experiences as well as barriers and facilitatory factors that can impact this population's access to mental health care. Using this insight, recommendations will be developed to help mental healthcare providers provide effective and insightful care to women veterans.
Gavin Campbell from Combat Stress spoke next, sharing research into Military Sexual Trauma (MST) and preliminary results of the ENHANCE study. He shared evidence that MST disproportionately impacts women Service and ex-Service personnel, with increased risk of debilitating effects including increased risk of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and broader psychosocial issues. Going forward, he suggests there is a need for further work to mitigate factors preventing MST survivors from seeking treatment. Advising development of awareness about the unique experiences of women veterans and survivors of MST.
The consensus across this sessions’ talks was a need for more research focused on women ex-Service personnel that might guide the development of tailored service provision.
After lunch and some great networking among our diverse group of delegates, the afternoon session, chaired by Ben Caves, Governance Advisor for the FiMT Research Centre, was kicked off with a focus on transition among specific and sometimes hidden groups. Military widows were the focus of the first talk, given by Dr Amy Johnson and Professor Matt Kiernan from The Northern Hub for Veterans and Military Families Research. Addressing one of only a few UK studies focused on the experiences of military widows, this presentation shed light on the unique transition experienced following bereavement, including feeling abandoned by the military community and difficulties accessing support services. A key recommendation proposed from this study was a need for support services to recognise the fluidity of the grieving process, thereby allowing support to be tailored to individual needs.
The next talk focused on the transition experiences of non-UK Veterans, i.e., those from Commonwealth Countries, the Republic of Ireland, and Nepal. Dr Nicola Gillin, (VFI, ARU) noted that current research on this group is limited. However, emerging evidence indicates members of this cohort face significant challenges during Service that are likely to affect their transition, including obstacles to career advancement due to factors such as racism and cultural misunderstandings in the workplace. Post-Service, difficulties obtaining a UK visa due to high costs and the complexity of the process can further impact their transition. Dr Gillin advised that more data is needed in areas such as employment to gain a better understanding of the unique challenges faced by non-UK Serving and ex-Service personnel.
Dr Stephen Herron (Queen’s University Belfast) provided evidence on factors contributing to “negative” transition outcomes. This included pre-Service factors such as difficult early life experiences and in-Service experiences such as holding a low rank. Ex-Service personnel who experience negative outcomes, such as homelessness and financial challenges, are likely to have complex needs. Thus, understanding transition is more than simply mapping what happens on exit from the military and, rather, should adopt a multi-level approach.
The final presentation of this session focused on the transition experiences of those who sustained severe battlefield injuries during the Afghanistan era. Presented by Dr Howard Burnett and Anna Verey (KCMHR), sharing their early preliminary results from a sub-study of the ADVANCE project. They provided early insight into post-service employment status and outlined their future aims, including exploration of how injury impacts ex-Service personnel's overall transition process and their sense of self.
An overarching theme from this session was the identification of possible prejudice and discrimination faced by arguably ‘hidden groups’ and the impact this can have through potentially exacerbating already challenging transition experiences.
Professor Neil Greenberg, Governance Advisor for the FiMT Research Centre, led the fourth and final session which focused on service delivery and interventions. Amy Franklin from Walking with the Wounded (WWTW) opened this session by sharing WWTW’s experience of using the Office of National Statistics (ONS) Life Satisfaction Measure to assess the effectiveness of their Head Start programme (an intervention for ex-Service personnel with mild to moderate mental health difficulties). Whereas previously WWTW had focused on exploring changes in clinical outcomes, the ONS Life Satisfaction Measure has allowed them to show the benefits of Head Start on broader wellbeing and quality of life. Demonstrating that utilising tools such as the ONS Life Satisfaction Measure to record well-being and functioning alongside clinical measures can give a broader image of impact.
Ronnie Bouch-Brown from Help for Heroes spoke about their Recovery College approach to supporting ex-Service personnel with mental and physical health recovery. This initiative can empower ex-Service personnel to take control of their recovery and well-being, providing them with a source of hope in recovery, letting them explore their possibilities, and rebuilding a fulfilling life by signposting them to future opportunities.
The final talk of the day focused on resilience among ex-Service personnel exposed to traumatic events. Professor Cherie Armour from Queens University Belfast noted that, while many people who experience trauma demonstrate resilience and remain psychologically healthy, our understanding of why this is the case remains limited. Historically, research has tended to focus on what goes wrong, not what goes right, for those who have experienced trauma. Therefore, Professor Armour suggests that further study into those who are resilient could provide insight into how to optimise resilience in others experiencing trauma.
This last session provided an informative look at service delivery, as well as recovery and resilience. Overall, it is clear that methods to promote recovery and measure well-being are already being undertaken with significant positive effects. Additionally, there is room for development by looking to those who are mentally well and resilient in order to find out how we can support those who may be struggling.
The day ended with closing remarks from Professor Neil Greenberg and the announcement of the FiMT Research Centre Conference Awards winners, presented by Professor Nicola Fear and Ruth Harris. This year we were pleased to announce that the winner of the Lifetime Achievement Award was Professor Anthony Bull, Professor of Musculoskeletal Mechanics at Imperial College London, and the winner of the Research Excellence Award was Dr Rebecca Randles, Senior Researcher at the Westminster Centre for Research in Veterans.
For more details on the awards and our winners, click here.
The FiMT Research Centre team would like to thank everyone who spoke at this year’s conference and those who attended as delegates. All attendees will be sent a feedback form to let us know how they found the day. We are thankful to all who take the time to complete it, as it will help us inform planning for next year's conference.
Overall, it was an insightful day showing how evidence and data are already informing policy and practice, and how they can continue to do so in the future. While evidence continues to grow regarding certain groups and topics, greater research is needed to understand some of the more nuanced transition experiences of different groups, remembering that ex-Service personnel are not a homogenous group, but rather are varied and diverse. This evidence can offer an improved understanding of the diverse experiences of those who serve in the UK Armed Forces and their families, which can lead to tailored support services.
We look forward to seeing you all again next year.
All photo credit to Daniel Dyball