A sex-disaggregated analysis of rank at release and health outcomes in Veterans of the Canadian Armed Forces

Introduction

Military organizations around the world use command structures determined by rank. A military member’s rank not only indicates their position within the organization, but also affects their day-to-day tasks and experiences, which may impact on health. In Canada, full-time career members of the Canadian Armed Forces Regular Force are categorized into:

1. non-commissioned members (NCM) - enlisted service members with specific skills for the military; and
2. commissioned officers - members who lead units of NCMs with tasks including the coordination and command of combat and crew activities.

What is this research about?

This research looks at how one’s military rank when released from the Canadian Armed Forces relates to their future health outcomes. The results were examined separately for male and female Veterans.

What did the researchers do?

This study uses data from the 2019 Life After Service Survey, a national study of Canadian Veterans released from Regular Force service between 1998 and 2018. The researchers examined relationships between the rank members held when they completed their military service (i.e., “released” from service), and various mental and physical health indicators.

What did the researchers find?

• Veterans who released at non-commissioned member (NCM) ranks fared worse than those who released as officers for all physical and mental health indicators with significant relationships observed. This was true for both male and female Veterans.
• Veterans (both male and female) who released at senior and junior NCM ranks were much more likely to rate both their perceived health and perceived mental health as “fair” or “poor”. They also fared significantly more poorly than officers for both chronic pain and anxiety.
• Male Veterans who released at NCM ranks also reported a higher likelihood of arthritis, back problems, stomach ulcer, diabetes, migraine, hearing problems, mood disorder, PTSD, suicidal ideation and COPD (Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease).
• Female Veterans who released at NCM ranks were more likely to experience urinary incontinence.
  This study provides new information to identify groups of Veterans who may be at greater risk of negative health outcomes. Differences observed across ranks, as well as between females and males, may indicate the need for targeted, sex and gender specific services and health promotion interventions to support NCMs during and after release from the military.

Source

Hall A, Coulthard J, Cowieson A, Garland Baird L, Gottschall S, Sweet J. A sex-disaggregated analysis of relationships between rank at release and health outcomes in veterans of the Canadian Armed Forces. Journal of Military, Veteran and Family Health. April 2024 doi.org/10.3138/jmvfh-2023-0033