Table 1
Sociodemographic and Military Descriptives.
| VARIABLE | n (%) |
|---|---|
| Age group (years) | |
| 20–50 | 10 (16.4) |
| 51–60 | 20 (32.8) |
| 61–70 | 23 (37.7) |
| 70+ | 8 (13.1) |
| Sexual Orientation | |
| Heterosexual | 37 (68.5) |
| LGBT+ | 17 (31.5) |
| Relationship Status | |
| In relationship | 41 (68.3) |
| Not in relationship | 19 (31.7) |
| Employment status | |
| Working or retired | 45 (75) |
| Not working | 15 (25) |
| Rank | |
| Officer | 7 (11.7) |
| Other Rank | 53 (88.3) |
Table 2
Key Themes and Associated Quotes from raw Text.
| KEY THEMES IDENTIFIED | EXAMPLES OF RAW TEXT |
|---|---|
| Access barriers: Lack of support available Lack of awareness of support | “Nowhere to turn for help” “Not aware I was entitled to support” |
| Lack of understanding from professionals | “the general medical attitude is … you should be over it by now” “Book thrown at me” “told to man up” |
| Gender-related discrimination: Not recognized as a veteran Treated differently to male veterans Services are specifically designed for males | “Female veteran not recognised at my surgery” “A man would not have been treated in that way” “it is always orientated towards the male point of view” |
| Mental health stigma | “Felt I had to hide this and could not seek help within the service” “Treated with disdain” |
| Sexual orientation-related discrimination | “Discharged for being Gay made to feel worthless” |