Loneliness
18% of all veterans
experienced loneliness. This was similar to people who had never served in the ADF (19%).
Nearly one third of veterans living alone
(31%) experienced loneliness. This was similar to people who had never served in the ADF (28%).
Nearly 1 in 4 veterans with disability
(22%) experienced loneliness. This was higher than veterans without disability (13%), but similar to people who had never served in the ADF (25%).
How did we measure loneliness in veterans?
Loneliness is recorded in the HILDA Survey as ‘whether often feel very lonely’ on an ordinal scale from 1 (strongly disagree) to 7 (strongly agree).
For the analysis of Wave 21 HILDA data in this section, scores between 5 and 7 were categorised as having experienced loneliness, whereas scores between 1 and 4 were categorised as not having experienced loneliness.
On this page, only the proportions of people who indicated that they experienced loneliness (that is, who had scored between 5 and 7 on this survey question) are reported.
Comparing to people who have never served in the ADF
Overall, analysis of self-reported data from Wave 21 of HILDA indicated that people who had ever served in the ADF (herein referred to as ‘veterans’) experienced loneliness at a similar rate to people who had never served in the ADF (18% compared with 19%, respectively).
No subgroups of veterans experienced loneliness at rates higher than people who had never served in the ADF from the same subgroups. Veterans who felt somewhat part of their local community or who were in moderate social contact with others (both 11%), were less likely to experience loneliness than people who had never served in the ADF from the same subgroups (19% for those in moderate social contact with others, and 18% for those who felt somewhat part of their local community).
Comparing between subgroups of veterans
Some subgroups of veterans were at higher risk of loneliness than others. This included veterans who were:
- living alone (31%, compared with 17% of veterans living in a couple with dependent children, and 15% of veterans living in a couple without children)11
- not in the labour force (that is, neither working nor looking for work) (21%, compared with 12% of veterans who were employed full-time)12
- with disability (22%, compared with 13% of veterans without disability)13
- not feeling part of their local community (29%, compared with 16% of veterans who did feel part of their local community)14
- infrequently in social contact with others (28%, compared with 17% of veterans who were frequently in social contact with others)15 (Figure 7).
Figure 7: Rates of loneliness, by individual characteristics and ADF service status, 2021–22
The bar chart shows rates of loneliness by individual characteristics. Findings show that no subgroups of veterans experienced loneliness at rates significantly higher than the same subgroups in the broader Australian population.
Why did we measure loneliness among veterans?
Loneliness is a negative feeling that an individual experiences when they want greater social connection than they have. Several factors may influence the severity and likelihood of experiencing loneliness, such as income, functional limitations, social engagement, and the quantity of social relationships (Hutten et al. 2022; Luhmann and Hawkley 2016). Those who experience loneliness may be at higher risk of premature mortality and the development of severe mental health conditions (Holt-Lunstad et al. 2015; Hutten et al. 2022). However, there are several protective factors that are associated with low levels of loneliness, such as the quality and quantity of social engagement, supportive communities, stable and secure housing, positive family functioning, employment and having a romantic partner (Victor and Yang 2012; Hutten et al. 2022; Relationships Australia 2021).
Veterans may be more susceptible to experiencing loneliness due to their higher prevalence of physical and mental health conditions (Straus et al. 2022; Gettings et al. 2022; Austin et al. 2020). However, veterans may possess protective factors such as camaraderie with other veterans during military service, which may protect them against adverse mental health outcomes and in turn issues with loneliness (Guthrie-Gower and Wilson-Menzfeld 2022).
11. A similar result was found among people who had never served in the ADF (28% of those living alone compared with 16% of those living in a couple with dependent children, and 13% of those living in a couple without children).
12. A similar result was found among people who had never served in the ADF (22% of those not in the labour force compared with 14% of those employed full-time).
13. A similar result was found among people who had never served in the ADF (25% of those with disability compared with 16% of those without disability).
14. A similar result was found among people who had never served in the ADF (28% of those who did not feel part of their local community compared with 13% of those who did).
15. A similar result was found among people who had never served in the ADF (27% of those who had infrequent social contact with people outside their household compared with 15% of those frequently in social contact with people outside their household).
Austin G, Calvert T, Fasi N, Fuimaono R, Galt T and Jackson S et al. (2020) ‘Soldiering on only goes so far: How a qualitative study on Veteran loneliness in New Zealand influenced that support during COVID-19 lockdown’, Journal of Military, Veteran and Family Health, Vol. 6 Issue S2 Pages 60-69, doi: 10.3138/jmvfh-CO19-0007.
Gettings RD, Kirtley J, Wilson-Menzfeld G, Oxburgh GE, Farrell D and Kiernan MD (2022) ‘Exploring the Role of Social Connection in Interventions With Military Veterans Diagnosed With Post-traumatic Stress Disorder: Systematic Narrative Review’, Frontiers in Psychology, Vol. 13, doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2022.873885.
Guthrie-Gower S and Wilson-Menzfeld G (2022) ‘Ex-military personnel's experiences of loneliness and social isolation from discharge, through transition, to the present day’, PLoS One, Vol. 17 Issue 6 Pages e0269678, doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0269678.
Hold-Lunstad J, Smith TB, Baker M, Harris T and Stephenson D (2015) ‘Loneliness and social isolation as risk factors for mortality: A meta-analytic review’, Perspective son Psychological Science, 10(2), 227-237, doi: 10.1177/1745691614568352.
Hutten E, Jongen EMM, Hajema K, Ruiter RAC, Hamers F, and Bos AER (2022) ‘Risk factors of loneliness across the life span’, Journal of Social and Personal Relationships, 39(5), 1482–1507, doi: 10.1177/02654075211059193.
Luhmann M and Hawkley LC (2016) ‘Age differences in loneliness from late adolescence to oldest old age’. Developmental Psychology, 52(6), 943, doi: 10.1037/dev0000117.
Relationships Australia, Submission No 46 to Queensland Parliament, Inquiry into social isolation and loneliness in Queensland (6 December 2021).
Straus E, Norman SB, Tripp JC, Tsai J, Sippel LM, Jeste DV, Southwick SM, and Pietrzak RH (2022) ‘Behavioral epidemic of loneliness in older U.S. military veterans: Results from the 2019-2020 National Health and Resilience in veterans' study’, The American Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry, 30(3), 297–310, doi: 10.1016/j.jagp.2021.07.006.
Victor C and Yang K (2012) ‘The Prevalence of Loneliness Among Adults: A Case Study of the United Kingdom’, The Journal of Psychology, 146:1-2, 85-104, doi: 10.1080/00223980.2011.613875.