Employment and mental health among UK ex-service personnel during the initial period of the COVID-19 pandemic

Howard Burdett; Marie-Louise Sharp; Danai Serfioti; Margaret Jones; Dominic Murphy; Lisa Hull; David Pernet; Simon Wessely; Nicola Fear

doi:10.3138/jmvfh-2022-0064

Employment and mental health among UK ex-service personnel during the initial period of the COVID-19 pandemic

Howard Burdett, Marie-Louise Sharp, Danai Serfioti, Margaret Jones, Dominic Murphy, Lisa Hull, David Pernet, Simon Wessely, Nicola Fear

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

2 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

Introduction: The COVID-19 pandemic interrupted participation in the labour force and may have affected mental health, both directly through the effects of illness and isolation and indirectly through negative effects on employment. Former military personnel may be at particular risk as a result of both additional exposure to risk factors for poor mental health and barriers to labour market participation raised by the transition from military to civilian working environments. This article examines furlough and unemployment as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic among UK working-age ex-service personnel and its associations with poor mental health. Methods: Participants from an existing cohort study of Iraq- and Afghanistan-era UK Armed Forces personnel were invited to provide information on employment before the COVID-19 pandemic and how it has changed since the pandemic. Mental health was measured using the General Health Questionnaire and compared with data collected pre-pandemic. Results: Although Veteran unemployment is not higher than civilian unemployment (4.7% and 4.8%, respectively, in September 2020), it rose during the pandemic from a lower level (1.3%). Part-time and self-employed Veterans were more likely than full-time employees to experience furlough or unemployment. A negative impact on employment was associated with the onset of new mental ill health. Discussion: Employment of ex-service personnel was more negatively affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, possibly because ex-service personnel are mostly men, and men were more affected in the UK general population. This employment instability has negative consequences for mental health that are not mitigated by furlough.

Original language	English
Pages (from-to)	62-69
Number of pages	8
Journal	Journal of Military, Veteran and Family Health
Volume	9
Issue number	3
Early online date	31 Mar 2023
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.3138/jmvfh-2022-0064
Publication status	Published - Jun 2023

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@article{7e2204b498e44abd9113a0d35d53819b,

title = "Employment and mental health among UK ex-service personnel during the initial period of the COVID-19 pandemic",

abstract = "Introduction: The COVID-19 pandemic interrupted participation in the labour force and may have affected mental health, both directly through the effects of illness and isolation and indirectly through negative effects on employment. Former military personnel may be at particular risk as a result of both additional exposure to risk factors for poor mental health and barriers to labour market participation raised by the transition from military to civilian working environments. This article examines furlough and unemployment as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic among UK working-age ex-service personnel and its associations with poor mental health. Methods: Participants from an existing cohort study of Iraq- and Afghanistan-era UK Armed Forces personnel were invited to provide information on employment before the COVID-19 pandemic and how it has changed since the pandemic. Mental health was measured using the General Health Questionnaire and compared with data collected pre-pandemic. Results: Although Veteran unemployment is not higher than civilian unemployment (4.7% and 4.8%, respectively, in September 2020), it rose during the pandemic from a lower level (1.3%). Part-time and self-employed Veterans were more likely than full-time employees to experience furlough or unemployment. A negative impact on employment was associated with the onset of new mental ill health. Discussion: Employment of ex-service personnel was more negatively affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, possibly because ex-service personnel are mostly men, and men were more affected in the UK general population. This employment instability has negative consequences for mental health that are not mitigated by furlough.",

author = "Howard Burdett and Marie-Louise Sharp and Danai Serfioti and Margaret Jones and Dominic Murphy and Lisa Hull and David Pernet and Simon Wessely and Nicola Fear",

note = "Funding Information: This study received funding from the Office for Veterans{\textquoteright} Affairs, Cabinet Office, UK Government (Contract Ref. No. CCZZ20A51). Funding Information: H Burdett, S Wessely, and NT Fear are funded in part by a grant from the UK Ministry of Defence. M Jones{\textquoteright}s salary is supported by funding granted to King{\textquoteright}s College London by the UK Office for Veterans{\textquoteright} Affairs. D Murphy is a trustee at the Forces in Mind Trust (FiMT). FiMT funds Veterans research but did not fund this project. S Wessely is Honorary Civilian Consultant Advisor in Psychiatry for the British Army (unpaid) and is affiliated with the National Institute for Health Research Health Protection Research Unit in Emergency Preparedness and Response at King{\textquoteright}s College London in partnership with Public Health England, in collaboration with the University of East Anglia and Newcastle University. Publisher Copyright: {\textcopyright} Journal of Military, Veteran and Family Health. All rights reserved.",

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doi = "10.3138/jmvfh-2022-0064",

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T1 - Employment and mental health among UK ex-service personnel during the initial period of the COVID-19 pandemic

AU - Burdett, Howard

AU - Sharp, Marie-Louise

AU - Serfioti, Danai

AU - Jones, Margaret

AU - Murphy, Dominic

AU - Hull, Lisa

AU - Pernet, David

AU - Wessely, Simon

AU - Fear, Nicola

N1 - Funding Information: This study received funding from the Office for Veterans’ Affairs, Cabinet Office, UK Government (Contract Ref. No. CCZZ20A51). Funding Information: H Burdett, S Wessely, and NT Fear are funded in part by a grant from the UK Ministry of Defence. M Jones’s salary is supported by funding granted to King’s College London by the UK Office for Veterans’ Affairs. D Murphy is a trustee at the Forces in Mind Trust (FiMT). FiMT funds Veterans research but did not fund this project. S Wessely is Honorary Civilian Consultant Advisor in Psychiatry for the British Army (unpaid) and is affiliated with the National Institute for Health Research Health Protection Research Unit in Emergency Preparedness and Response at King’s College London in partnership with Public Health England, in collaboration with the University of East Anglia and Newcastle University. Publisher Copyright: © Journal of Military, Veteran and Family Health. All rights reserved.

PY - 2023/6

Y1 - 2023/6

N2 - Introduction: The COVID-19 pandemic interrupted participation in the labour force and may have affected mental health, both directly through the effects of illness and isolation and indirectly through negative effects on employment. Former military personnel may be at particular risk as a result of both additional exposure to risk factors for poor mental health and barriers to labour market participation raised by the transition from military to civilian working environments. This article examines furlough and unemployment as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic among UK working-age ex-service personnel and its associations with poor mental health. Methods: Participants from an existing cohort study of Iraq- and Afghanistan-era UK Armed Forces personnel were invited to provide information on employment before the COVID-19 pandemic and how it has changed since the pandemic. Mental health was measured using the General Health Questionnaire and compared with data collected pre-pandemic. Results: Although Veteran unemployment is not higher than civilian unemployment (4.7% and 4.8%, respectively, in September 2020), it rose during the pandemic from a lower level (1.3%). Part-time and self-employed Veterans were more likely than full-time employees to experience furlough or unemployment. A negative impact on employment was associated with the onset of new mental ill health. Discussion: Employment of ex-service personnel was more negatively affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, possibly because ex-service personnel are mostly men, and men were more affected in the UK general population. This employment instability has negative consequences for mental health that are not mitigated by furlough.

AB - Introduction: The COVID-19 pandemic interrupted participation in the labour force and may have affected mental health, both directly through the effects of illness and isolation and indirectly through negative effects on employment. Former military personnel may be at particular risk as a result of both additional exposure to risk factors for poor mental health and barriers to labour market participation raised by the transition from military to civilian working environments. This article examines furlough and unemployment as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic among UK working-age ex-service personnel and its associations with poor mental health. Methods: Participants from an existing cohort study of Iraq- and Afghanistan-era UK Armed Forces personnel were invited to provide information on employment before the COVID-19 pandemic and how it has changed since the pandemic. Mental health was measured using the General Health Questionnaire and compared with data collected pre-pandemic. Results: Although Veteran unemployment is not higher than civilian unemployment (4.7% and 4.8%, respectively, in September 2020), it rose during the pandemic from a lower level (1.3%). Part-time and self-employed Veterans were more likely than full-time employees to experience furlough or unemployment. A negative impact on employment was associated with the onset of new mental ill health. Discussion: Employment of ex-service personnel was more negatively affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, possibly because ex-service personnel are mostly men, and men were more affected in the UK general population. This employment instability has negative consequences for mental health that are not mitigated by furlough.

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DO - 10.3138/jmvfh-2022-0064

M3 - Article

SN - 2368-7924

VL - 9

SP - 62

EP - 69

JO - Journal of Military, Veteran and Family Health

JF - Journal of Military, Veteran and Family Health

IS - 3

ER -

Employment and mental health among UK ex-service personnel during the initial period of the COVID-19 pandemic

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