Transitioning from military to civilian life: the role of mastery and social support

Abstract

Introduction: The Survey on Transition to Civilian Life (STCL) was created to measure the adjustment outcomes of recently released Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) members. The survey was administered to a sample of CAF regular force members released from 1998 to 2007. The aim of the current study was to examine resources that promote the successful adjustment to civilian life. Specifically, the goal was to conduct a secondary analysis of the STCL that examined the roles of mastery and social environment (that is, community belonging and satisfaction with support) in the transition to civilian life, as well as how these variables correlate with health and life stress. Methods: The sample data were used to conduct Kendall's tau correlations. Prevalence estimates, 95 per cent confidence intervals, and ordinal logistic regressions were conducted using weighted data that accounted for the complex survey design to ensure findings were representative of the sampled veteran population. Results: Ordinal logistic regression results revealed that mastery, satisfaction with types of social support (friends and family), and a sense of community belonging acted as potential protective factors that were associated with easier adjustment to civilian life for Veterans with physical health conditions, mental health conditions, and higher levels of life stress. The first model showed that the odds of an easier adjustment were lower for those who were more stressed (adjusted odds ratio [AOR]=0.13), self-reported a physical health condition (AOR=0.53), and self-reported a mental health condition (AOR=0.23). The second model revealed that the odds of an easier adjustment were lower for those Veterans dissatisfied with their family relationships (AOR=0.42) and their relationships with friends (AOR=0.47) and those with a very weak sense of community belonging (AOR=0.39), and they were higher among those with high levels of mastery (AOR=3.93). Discussion: The results of this study point to the importance of personal characteristics and aspects of the social environment in the adjustment to civilian life among military veterans. As well, ensuring a successful adjustment to civilian life may lead to better outcomes, such as enhanced mastery, following transition.