Historical and Contemporary Dimensions of Veteran Suicide: 1914-2023

This research will link historical and contemporary experiences of veterans and their families. It will provide veterans and their families with an opportunity to have their experiences documented. Linking historical and contemporary veterans and their families experiences will help inform an evidence-base of how service and transition, and systems and cultures can influence veteran wellbeing and trauma.

This research will also inform future redress initiatives and responses to veteran health and wellbeing.

Study Benefits:

• Generate new knowledge on the changing ways the ADF, DVA, the veteran sector, families and community have understood veterans, and veteran wellbeing, trauma and suicide since 1914.
• Describe how government and military policy have historically affected veteran wellbeing and suicide outcomes. 
• Record and contextualise veteran and family accounts of veteran suicide including thoughts, planning and attempts to understand underlying risk factors for suicide. 
• Provide a historical record of veteran and family accounts of suicide including thoughts, planning and attempts to identify risk factors that generate the conditions for suicide.
• Describe the social domains where Australian veterans are achieving or not achieving wellbeing and translate research to policy and service provision addressing veteran wellbeing and suicide prevention. 

Participation is voluntary. If you agree to participate, this will include:

• A one-on-one interview (other family member(s) or friends may be with you for the interview, if you want them to be present).
• With your consent, the interview will be audio and/or video-taped. Video recordings will focus solely on you and you immediate surroundings only. If you do not want to be videoed, that is okay – you can still participate in the project.
• You will be asked a series of questions about your experiences of veteran welfare and veteran sector support.
• The interview will take between 1-3 hours. You do not have to answer any questions you do not want to. We can stop at any time.

Your DVA entitlements cannot be affected by participating in this study.

Video Accounts

With your consent, the interview will be audio and/or video-taped. Video recordings will focus solely on you and you immediate surroundings only. If you do not want to be videoed, that is okay – you can still participate in the project.

The purpose of the videos is to produce testimonials of bereaved families and veterans who have attempted to take their lives. The aim of this is to educate the wider community as well as provide support and understanding to other veterans who are facing life challenges. There are a group of families who have expressed the desire to have video testimonials of their stories. Some families and veterans who have attempted suicide feel that the issue is invisible and unrecognised. This will only be possible with participants who are happy to be identified. Videos will be recorded when the research interview is happening. Usual withdrawal protocols will be observed and will be produced with your explicit consent and feedback to establish a platform for describing the experience of suicide for families and veterans.

Some questions may cause discomfort. The discussion may also become emotionally challenging. The research team are very experienced in these interviews. We will ask you about how the interview is going as we proceed to check that you are feeling OK. If you experience feelings of distress please let the research team know immediately.

You can also contact the following services for support:

• Lifeline – 13 11 14, www.lifeline.org.au
• Beyond Blue – 1300 22 4636, www.beyondblue.org.au
• Open Arms: Veteran Counselling Service 1800 011 046, https://www.openarms.gov.au/
• Find a NACCHO Member near you: www.naccho.org.au

Please note:

• Participation is voluntary. 
• You can stop participating in this research at any time, without providing an explanation. 
• You do not have to answer any questions you don't want to. 
• If you do withdraw, any information collected up to that point will be securely destroyed.

Privacy and confidentiality are assured. Research findings may be presented at conferences, written up for publication or used for other research purposes as described in this Information Sheet. At no time will you be named, or your individual information be identifiable without your explicit consent.

Information collected will be securely stored on a password protected computer and/or Flinders University server. Any identifiable information will be de-identified unless indicated otherwise.

After we complete the project, all information will be securely kept for ten years; when all raw data will be securely destroyed according to university protocols.

On project completion, a short summary of the outcomes will be provided to all participants.

If you have agreed to be videoed, the video will be shown to you in production for your feedback.

Any member of the research team will be happy to assist. Your queries and concerns will be addressed in the strictest confidence.

If you have any complaints or reservations about the ethical conduct of this study, Flinders University’s Research Ethics & Compliance Office can be contacted via telephone: 08 8201 2543; or email human.researchethics@flinders.edu.au.