Research helps us understand what works, what doesn’t, and how we can better support veterans and families of veterans.
It involves gathering information, listening to people’s experiences, and analysing data to build a clearer picture of needs and outcomes.
Put simply, research is a structured way of learning so we can make informed decisions and improve services over time.
Why research matters
Research plays an important role in improving health, wellbeing and support services.
It helps to:
- identify the needs of veterans and families of veterans
- understand the challenges people are facing
- design services and supports that are effective and relevant
- improve policies and programs over time
In the veteran context, research is used to better understand health, wellbeing and service needs, and to inform future improvements in policy and service delivery.
Using research to improve support
Research helps us move beyond assumptions or “what has always been done”.
Instead, it supports:
- evidence-based practice – using the best available research to guide decisions
- continuous improvement – regularly reviewing what works and what can be improved
- better outcomes – improving health, wellbeing and quality of life
Evidence-based practice means combining research with professional expertise and the needs and preferences of the person receiving support to make the best decisions possible.
Listening to lived experience
Research is not just about data. It also includes peoples lived experiences.
Understanding the experiences of veterans and families of veterans helps to:
- ensure services are relevant and accessible
- identify gaps and barriers to support
- design services that reflect real needs
Good research brings together both evidence and lived experience to inform better outcomes.
How research benefits veterans and families of veterans
Research contributes to:
- improved health and wellbeing outcomes
- better access to services and support
- more responsive and tailored programs
- stronger, more effective policies
It also helps ensure that support services continue to evolve as needs change over time.
Some research topics include sensitive issues such as suicide, self-harm, trauma and family violence. You can choose what information you read and when.
Recent Australian veteran research topics include:
Mental health, trauma and suicide prevention
- Suicide monitoring and suicide prevention — including annual monitoring of suicide among serving, reserve and ex-serving Australian Defence Force (ADF) members, and analysis of risk factors and service contact before death. Source: Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW) veteran suicide monitoring reports; Department of Veterans’ Affairs (DVA) veteran suicide prevention research
- Intentional self-harm and health service use — including research into health service use before and after intentional self-harm among ex-serving ADF members, and opportunities for earlier intervention. Source: DVA self-harm and veteran health research; AIHW veteran health and welfare reports
- Post-traumatic stress disorder and trauma recovery — including treatment trials, predictors of PTSD recovery, trauma-related mental health conditions and supports for military and veteran communities. Source: Phoenix Australia military and veteran mental health research
- Moral injury — including definitions, evidence, clinical understanding and implications for veteran mental health support. Source: DVA review of moral injury research
Families, carers and lived experience
- Veteran and family wellbeing — including the wellbeing of Defence and veteran families, risk and protective factors, and gaps in existing data. Source: Australian Institute of Family Studies (AIFS) Defence and veteran family wellbeing research
- Unpaid care provided by family members — including research into family members who provide unpaid assistance to veterans with core-activity support needs. Source: DVA research on family carers and unpaid assistance
- Family, domestic and sexual violence in veteran families — including intimate partner violence, data gaps, reporting, and veteran-specific evidence about family and domestic violence. Source: AIHW family, domestic and sexual violence data; Department of Social Services family and domestic violence policy information
Access, equity and inclusion
- Women veterans and gender equity — including analysis of whether veterans’ legislation, policies or assessment frameworks create barriers to equitable access for women veterans. Source: DVA research on women veterans and gender equity
- Culturally and linguistically diverse veterans — including service access needs, experiences, barriers and enablers for culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) Australian Defence Force veterans and families. Source: DVA research on CALD veterans and service access
- Veteran services mapping and service accessibility — including mapping the veteran service provider sector and identifying accessibility of suicide prevention and postvention programs. Source: Australian Catholic University (ACU) National Centre for Veterans and Families service mapping reports
Transition, ageing and daily support
- Transition from military to civilian life — including health, wellbeing and support needs during and after transition from the ADF. Source: DVA transition research projects; DVA Transition and Wellbeing Research Programme
- Older veterans and aged care — including health and care needs before entry into residential aged care, and broader aged care needs for older veterans, war widows and families. Source: DVA research on older veterans and aged care; DVA current veteran research projects
- Domestic assistance and in-home support — including best practice approaches to domestic assistance services for veterans and families. Source: DVA research on domestic assistance and in-home support
- Veteran self-employment and wellbeing — including experiences of self-employed veterans and the wellbeing impacts of self-employment. Source: DVA research on veteran self-employment and wellbeing
Data, policy and evidence systems
- Data linkage, national data assets and evidence systems — including improving how Defence, DVA and other agencies collect, link and use data to understand veteran wellbeing, suicide, self-harm and service needs. Source: Royal Commission recommendations on veteran data and research
Finding research projects looking for volunteers
Veterans and families of veterans who would like to take part in research can look for opportunities through the Department of Veterans’ Affairs (DVA), universities, Phoenix Australia, the Australian Catholic University National Centre for Veterans and Families, health research registers and veteran community organisations. Before volunteering, it is important to check who is running the study, whether it has ethics approval, what participation involves, and how privacy and wellbeing will be protected.
If you are interested in finding out more about current research, some places to look for more information are:
DVA research pages
The Department of Veterans’ Affairs sometimes shares information about current or commissioned research projects involving veterans and families. For more information visit the DVA website:
University research participation pages
Australian universities often advertise studies seeking participants. Search terms like:
- “veterans research participants Australia”
- “veteran wellbeing study volunteers”
- “ADF veterans research study university”
Phoenix Australia
Phoenix Australia conducts trauma and veteran mental health research and may list studies, trials or opportunities to participate. For more information visit the Phoenix's website:
Australian Catholic University National Centre for Veterans and Families
The ACU National Centre for Veterans and Families conducts research on veterans and families and may share opportunities to contribute to studies or consultations.
Clinical trials and health research registers
Veterans can search public trial registers for studies on PTSD, mental health, chronic pain, sleep, rehabilitation or transition:
Ex-service organisations
Some research opportunities are shared through veteran organisations, newsletters and community networks.
For example, RSL Queensland works with research partners to share relevant opportunities with the veteran community.
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