‘Applied Social Prescribing Practice: A Focused Arts Based Participatory Action Research Study of Military Veteran Transition Into Civilian Life’

Abstract

Experiences of transition into civilian life after active service differs widely for military personnel. For those who experience issues in this process of transition, life can often be characterized by perceptions of loneliness, social isolation, poor mental well-being, and a functional dependency on alcohol, alongside other negative behaviors, for coping with post-traumatic stress disorder. This research employed action research methodology and the implementation of participatory action research methods. Both facilitated a systematic and pragmatic process of revealing new understandings about how social prescribing could act as a driver of transformation for veterans and their families (51 participants engaged across 18 individual workshops). This iterative exploratory process enabled a guided understanding of complex individual and collectively-shared experiences of veterans transitioning from military back to civilian lives. The facilitated collective arts experiences for veterans and their families were undertaken by specialist artists to foster a sense of active citizenship. The study revealed that participants transitioning from military to civilian life reported an increased sense of well-being because of engaging in collective creative practice. Participants attributed this to the opportunity of learning new skills, gaining a sense of creative expression, and engaging in reflection on their military heritage and contribution to service alongside peers. Knowledge gained from this research enables consideration of how principles of participatory action research may have potential transferability to other similar contexts which serve to support veterans in their transition from military to civilian life.