A narrative review of the international literature on social work within the military

Abstract

There is a dearth of understanding about the international literature on military social work with active service members. This narrative review spans the literature between 1944 and 2019 in an effort to grow the international military social work knowledge base. Of the 92 countries searched, 24 produced at least one publication about military social work with active military service members. Major themes identified among the articles reviewed included: the general scope of practice, practice in mental health and trauma, practice with special populations, practice with families, interdisciplinary practice and collaboration, ethical issues and dilemmas, and education and training.