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Our first aim was to explore the relationship between daily uplifts, daily hassles, and coping styles the first year after returning from international military missions and post-deployment work, family, and private reintegration in military veterans. Our second aim was to identify individual patterns regarding daily uplifts, daily hassles, and coping styles and to explore how they relate to the above-mentioned aspects of post-deployment reintegration. Questionnaire responses were received from 446 Swedish military veterans. Regression analyses showed that daily hassles and an escape-avoidance coping style made significant contributions in the predicted, negative direction to the amount of explained variance on reintegration indicator scales. A high level of perceived threat during the last mission also contributed to more negative integration. Using a person-centered approach, three unique profiles of response patterns were identified using a cluster analysis based on the uplift, hassles, and coping style scores. One profile was labeled “resilient and well-functioning”; its members showed favorable reintegration scores. A second profile was called “ambitious and struggling.” These individuals scored medium-high on the reintegration scales. The third profile consistently indicated the least favorable reintegration scores and was labeled “worried and avoidant.” The results confirm and deepen our existing knowledge.

A high number of military veterans seek professional help at primary healthcare centers for mental health problems. The main aim of this study was to map veterans’ perception of the quality of the care they received when seeking such help after their last tour of duty. A secondary aim was to explore personality and mission-related characteristics of veterans who seek professional help for mental health problems after missions. Questionnaire responses were obtained from 2512 Swedish veterans (43.4% response rate). Among the responders, 210 individuals had sought help for mental health problems at primary healthcare centers. Their perception of the quality of the healthcare was measured using the Quality from the Patient’s Perspective (QPP) questionnaire, which is derived from a theoretical model. Comparisons between the military help seekers and an age and gender matched group of civilian outpatients showed that the military group perceived the information they had received, and the commitment, empathy and respect shown by the physicians, considerably more negatively than the civilian patients. Comparisons between the help-seeking veterans and those who had not sought help, showed that the help seekers were younger and scored significantly lower on emotional stability and higher on conscientiousness. In addition, they perceived the leadership of their immediate commander during the last tour of duty more negatively and they reported fewer daily uplifts and more daily hassles during the tour. It was concluded that a more extensive collaboration between the armed forces and the healthcare system is strongly recommended and that it is necessary to provide education to healthcare providers.

This study explored existing literature regarding what social and psychological interventions currently exist for military couples/families in connection to international deployment. Asystematic scoping studies review was performed. Peer-reviewed articles were searched inthe following ProQuest databases: PsycArticles, Social Services Abstracts, and Sociological Abstracts. Twenty-four articles were identified that met the inclusion criteria. A thematic analysis was then applied. Two main themes were identified by the analysis describing the types of military support interventions, including family-based interventions and couple interventions. The existing literature covering specific interventions for military personnel and their families is limited, especially literature outside of North American military populations. Most current interventions focused on reactive psychological services, primarily during deployment and after the military employee has arrived back from duty and the family already presents symptoms of concern. Further studies are needed to represent the current support methods utilized for military personnel and their families in European contexts. Moreover, additional interventions focused on preventative health care may be a useful complement to currently offered treatment programs for helping military families mentally prepare for the specific stressors relating to military deployment. The current literature can serve as a basis for the identification of future needs in intervention and preventative psychological support for military families.

This article gives a brief insight into the types of problems encountered by, and the well-being and health of, Swedish veterans who have deployed abroad since 1990 and onwards. More specifically, it gives an overview of work-related stressors and health outcomes among Swedish deployed military veterans related to (a) trauma exposure, PTSD, and moral distress/moral injury; (b) milder stress reactions/symptoms and everyday hassles and uplifts; and (c) social outcomes in terms of deployment implications on family and close relationships.

Purpose The purpose of this study was to investigate military officers’ perception of the implicit expectations the organisation has for the officer’s private life and what implications it may have for gender norms at the organisation, family and individual levels. Design/methodology/approach A qualitative approach, using an inductive thematic analysis, was performed. The data was based on 20 interviews with military officers, including 18 men and 2 women. Findings Two main themes, with three subsequent subthemes, were identified. These themes were interpreted as being necessary for the military officer to be able to manage organisational demands. The first included the implicit expectations the organisation had for the family. The three subthemes included the officer’s acceptance of frequent travel demands, adapting private life in accordance to organisational demands and picking a partner that matches the goals of the organisation. The second identified main theme included the military officer’s descriptions of implicit expectations the organisation held for the officer’s partner. Three subthemes were identified, including the partner’s need to be independent and psychologically strong, to take the main responsibility for managing family life and to engage in emotion work with the extended family. Originality/value The findings identify important perceptions that military officers have regarding the military’s expectations for their private life and the adaptive behaviors regularly performed. These adaptive behaviors allow the military officer to be able to engage in work that sustains the organisation.

"Factors Affecting Ethical Leadership” shows that the ethical behavior of leaders is the most important factor in shaping an organization’s ethical climate. Representatives from ten countries, Canada, Australia, Czech Republic, Finland, Greece, Netherlands, Slovenia, Sweden, United Kingdom and United States of America participated in the research, with six (Canada, Australia, Finland, Netherlands, Sweden and the USA) able to collect data. The goals of RTG HFM-304 included identifying the individual, situational, and organizational variables predictive of ethical leadership, developing a model of ethical leadership, and collating best practice in military ethics education amongst NATO and Partner for Peace (PfP) countries. Findings evidence that ethical leadership is strongly associated with values, in particular with value achievement (e.g., setting high standards and striving for excellence) and person-environment fit. Leaders who have the ability to address an ethical dilemma tend also to be those with high standards, a firm foundation in values (such as helping others and generosity) and belief that their institution shares these values. To engender ethical cultures and attract, train and sustain principled leaders, there is a need for military institutions to emphasize values, reinforce ethical decision-making and promote and value-informed ethical leadership from the beginning.

This study investigates the role of work-life balance in a recent relocation decision made by the Swedish Armed Forces. Applying the “What is the problem represented to be?” (WPR) discourse analysis method to documents concerning budget submissions over a five-year period (2020–2024) and a relocation decision from 2017, this study identifies a common focus on the reduction of organizational vulnerability. The way the problem of organizational vulnerability is presented, however, neglects considerations of employees’ work-life balance and serves to make effects of organizational changes at the individual level invisible. Founded on a social constructivist perspective, the study therefore argues that this neglect of work-life balance in official discourse on organizational change may be counterproductive to the proposed aim of a reduction in organizational vulnerability.