Exploring resilience & coping strategies during and after military service - study information

Thank you wanting to find out more about our research study into resilience and coping strategies.

We want to explore how women who have served in the UK Armed Forces cope with challenges they may have faced both during and after military service.

The study is being conducted jointly by Combat Stress Centre for Applied Military Research (UK), the University of Bath (UK), and Teachers College Columbia University (USA). It is part of a wider a collection of studies that aims to understand and improve mental health support for women veterans. It is funded by a grant from the Office for Veterans' Affairs (OVA). However, the studies remain academically independent of the OVA and any Governmental bodies.

Before you decide whether to take part, it is important that you understand why the research is being conducted and what it will involve. Please take the time to carefully read through the following information and consider whether you would like to take part.

If you would like to take part in the study, please read this information and click 'next' to continue with the online questionnaire. Alternatively, if you wish to speak to the research team first, or if you have any questions or concerns about the study, please email the team on research@combatstress.org.uk

What is the study about?
Women are often under-represented in veteran research and there remains a need to understand experiences of this group to make sure that services can better support them. Research has shown that some challenging experiences during military service can be particularly acute for women. Nonetheless, although many veterans recall a variety of challenges during their military service, most regard their military careers as having been positive and successful.

The study team are interested in the coping skills and strategies that you used during your military career, as well as those that you use in your life after military service. We are interested in speaking with any women who have served in the UK Armed Forces.

It is hoped that by better understanding some of the coping skills that women veterans have, the findings can be used to contribute to the development and improvement of support services and interventions.

Who can take part?
This study is open to women who have served in the UK Armed Forces. You must be aged 18 years or over, and have no speech or language difficulties which could make taking part in an online interview difficult. If you are currently serving in the military, including as a reservist, you sadly cannot take part.

Why have I been invited to take part?
You have been invited to consider taking part because you are a woman veteran of the UK Armed Forces. Recruitment is being conducted through veteran networks and associations. You may also have previously taken part in research run by Combat Stress and have indicated your willingness to be contacted.
What does taking part in the study involve?
If you would like to take part, you can click through to the next page where you will be asked to provide your details and confirm your consent to participate. You will then be asked to complete some questions exploring your time in the military, health, and how you might respond in some everyday scenarios. There are no right or wrong answers. These questions should take around 20 minutes to complete.

You will then be contacted to arrange a time and date for an interview. This interview will last about 60 minutes. It will take place with a Gavin Campbell, a male researcher from Combat Stress. It will take place on the online platform Microsoft Teams. Gavin will explain the study again and will be able to answer any questions you may have. The interview will involve a series of questions on how you coped with challenging experiences both during military service and in your life currently.

The interviews will be audio recorded. They will also be transcribed from the audio files. Any personally identifying information will be removed from both the recording and your transcripts. Only then, will this anonymised information be shared with other researchers on the team.

Do I have to take part?
No. Your participation is entirely voluntary. You do not need to take part in this study. Even if you provide consent, you are free to withdraw from the study at any point prior to the interview.

Your rights to access, change or move your information are limited, as we need to manage your information in specific ways for the research to be reliable and accurate. You can withdraw and delete your data after your interview. However, this must be done within 72 hours after the end of your interview. After this time point, the data will be anonymised and it will not be possible to identify it for the purposes of withdrawal. To safeguard your rights, we will use the minimum personally-identifiable information possible.

What are the possible risks and benefits of taking part?
It is important to take care of yourself and to only share as much as you feel comfortable. We do not think it is likely that taking part in our study will result in you becoming very distressed as a result, and you will not be asked to recount any traumatic experiences in detail. However, there remains a risk that answering the questions of the interview may bring up memories of difficult experiences. If you experienced heightened distress or do not feel comfortable with continuing with the interview, you will be able to end it at any point. The study researcher will be available to help support you with any difficult emotions or memories you experience and, if necessary can signpost you to experienced professionals for further support.

There is no direct benefit to taking part, although some people do find it helpful to express their feelings about past difficult experiences. We hope that what you share with us can help the study help to better inform the support and treatment that is made available, particularly to women veterans.
Will anyone know I have taken part and how will my data be stored?
Only Gavin Campbell (from Combat Stress), will know you have taken part, unless you choose to tell others yourself. Transcripts and recordings of the interview will be anonymised before being shared with the rest of the research team. Results of this study will not include your name or any other personally identifying information.

Your data will be processed in accordance with the General Data Protection (GDPR). Security of data storage and access will be overseen by Dr Victoria Williamson (Psychology Department, University of Bath, Claverton Down, Bath BA2 7AY). The data collected in this study will be kept for a period of 10 years following the completion of the study. After this, all data will be destroyed.

Are there any exceptions to confidentiality?
In the event that the researcher has any strong concerns regarding your own safety or the safety of others around you, they may need to break confidentiality and inform relevant professionals. Before doing so, he would inform you of the need to break confidentiality and make sure you are aware of who they will be contacting. This is to ensure that you can receive appropriate support, if necessary.

Will I know the findings?
You will be able to receive a copy of your interview transcript after all identifying information has been removed. You will also be able to get a copy of the findings once analysis has taken place. If you would like to receive a copy of the transcript and/or results, please let the research team know.

What if something goes wrong?
This research has been approved by the University of Bath Social Sciences Research Ethics Committee (Ref No: 5608-6127). If the project has harmed you in any way or you wish to make a complaint about the conduct of the project, you can contact them on: social-science-rec@bath.ac.uk

Next steps
If you would like to take part, click on the button below to confirm your consent and begin the questionnaire. Please note that you cannot save your progress and return to the questionnaire later. Alternatively get in touch with the team via research@combatstress.org.uk

Thank you.
 
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