Description/Abstract
Half of U.S. veterans report feeling like they don’t belong in society after separation from military service. Lack of belonging is often associated with feeling socially isolated or lonely. These feelings may increase the risk of veterans experiencing poor mental and physical health outcomes. This brief explores the negative impacts of social isolation and loneliness on veteran health and wellbeing. It calls for expanded veterans programing that connects veterans to each other while mimicking the values veterans miss about military life, including camaraderie, identity, purpose, physical activity, and learning.
Document Type
Issue Brief
Keywords
Mental Health, Military, Social Isolation
Disciplines
Mental and Social Health | Social and Behavioral Sciences
Date
12-6-2022
For More Information
Language
English
Acknowledgements
The author thanks Alexandra Punch and Shannon Monnat for edits to previous versions of this brief.
Recommended Citation
Graham, Emily, "Combating Social Isolation and Loneliness Among Veterans after Separation from Military Service" (2022). Population Health Research Brief Series. 202.
https://surface.syr.edu/lerner/202
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
