Research Methodology.

For working with veterans in the process of reintegration and return to civilian life, it was important for the YMCA.Lviv organization to understand how veterans perceive their return, what difficulties have already arisen, and with which tools they are ready to work.

The purpose of the study: to find out how veterans and their wives view the process of returning.

To achieve this goal, the following tasks were set:

• to find out how veterans and their wives view the return and what difficulties they identify in this process;
• to determine which potential adaptation tools they see in the process of return;
• to define how they perceive the possibility of working with community initiatives and the civil society sector.

One of the key hypotheses of the study is that the families (wives, partners, parents) of veterans are ready to provide support and live through and integrate together with the military.

For conducting the study, a method of qualitative interviews with a convenience sample was chosen (according to the audiences with whom the organization had already worked). There were two groups of respondents:

• Veterans who have already been demobilized and have experience returning (Appendix 1)
• Wives of veterans who have already assisted/are assisting in returning to civilian life (Appendix 2)

Considering the area of activity of YMCA.Lviv, all respondents were from Lviv. The study covered 8 veterans and 10 wives of veterans.

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How They View the Return

In expert circles, the term “resocialization” is often used to describe the process of soldiers’ return, meaning the reacquisition by an individual of the status of a full member of society. In our study, we used a broader term: “return,” aimed not only at restoring or acquiring certain traits by soldiers but also at acquiring certain qualities by the families and surroundings of the soldiers.

For most of the veterans and their wives surveyed, “return” is understood quite simplistically: rehabilitation and proper documentation. Anything beyond that is not yet realized and was little discussed by survey participants. The wives of soldiers express it as follows: “the main thing is that he returns alive and healthy,” “the return will not happen immediately,” “we will apply for benefits.” Soldiers and veterans find questions about the return somewhat irritating: “we have been there” (in the civilian world), we know what it’s like.” These responses indicate that neither the soldiers nor their wives think much about the peculiarities and difficulties of returning, as they are more concerned about combat actions and seem to think that everything will be simple at home.

However, when they begin to talk about returning or being on leave, respondents talk about difficulties.

Difficulties in returning as seen by wives:

– Rehabilitation of soldiers. Soldiers need health recovery, which means wives need to allocate time for doctor visits, searching for medications, and caring for their husband.

– Bureaucracy: processing of certificates and documents. Obtaining state-guaranteed benefits becomes the wives’ responsibility. Soldiers, tired of the bureaucratic red tape in the army, are not ready to take on the processing of certificates and dealing with civilian bureaucracy.

– Social skills, in particular, redistribution of time and duties: according to the wives, it is hard for men to return to previously accustomed family roles. For wives, this is an additional burden, which also necessitates someone else taking care of the children.

Difficulties regarding return from the soldiers’ perspective:

– The mental state for the surveyed men is one of the first challenges. They describe their condition as “in a fog,” “hard, because you have to rely on help from others.” Additional factors that negatively affect the emotional state include news from comrades, information about the front line. At the same time, there are men who did not experience significant emotional and mental difficulties. Mental health issues are exacerbated by poor health and the need for rehabilitation. An accompanying challenge regarding mental state is the need for additional time to reboot, to realize oneself in this status, one’s needs. Interestingly, there is a slight correlation between age and readiness to work with mental state: the older the respondent, the more readiness to work with psychotherapists.

– Social skills. Soldiers note problems with restoring social connections and atrophy of social skills. In particular, it’s hard to communicate even within the family circle due to differences in experiences: “sometimes words of support were perceived negatively – what do you know if you weren’t where I was.” Veterans also mention that they find it quite difficult to react to various assessments of the political situation, with questions like “Who is fighting?” “Whose war is it?” being particularly triggering. The issue of ethics and fairness in social life is very sensitive. Soldiers expect not only to be treated with dignity themselves but also among other people.

– Physical rehabilitation: for many soldiers, the state of health and the need for rehabilitation, the expectation that health problems will be constant, fear of losing the ability to work – exacerbate both physical and psychological problems.

– Bureaucracy, both military and civilian. Processing documents regarding the confirmation of status, obtaining benefits, the need to travel from one institution to another – does not create an impression of service accessibility but gives a constant feeling that something needs to be constantly proven.

Therefore, differences in veterans’ experiences underscore the need for an individualized approach to support, which includes emotional and psychological support, assistance in socialization, medical services, and navigation in bureaucratic processes.

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Community and Family Readiness for the Return of Soldiers

Family. Both soldiers and their wives recognize the importance of family in the rehabilitation process. Family support is a determining factor both during military duty and in the process of returning home. However, both wives and men emphasize that there will be a need to restore marital and family bonds. This process will require time, resilience, and readiness from both sides, as well as from society and the family, as it will mean a redistribution of household duties, including childcare. For many wives, this is one of the defining factors in organizing the return of their husbands: there is someone to take care of the children. Thus, it is important for the community and families to understand who will support the children, with due respect to the family’s private life.

State and Community Services

Given that one of the biggest challenges is dealing with state and community services where soldiers and their wives feel uncomfortable, it is important for the community and the staff of these services to be ready to work with military personnel, able to communicate properly. However, political decisions are also important – simplifying the document processing system, easy and accessible navigation in this process, and the possibility of completing the process without direct participation of soldiers/wives.

Economic Capability and Work for Soldiers. The ability to earn money is one of the important prerequisites for proper return. However, from the responses of soldiers and their wives, about half consider changing their place of work and employment sphere. For some, this is due to health problems, for others – a desire to reconsider their view of employment. Considering this, both soldiers and their wives pay attention to such needs:

– Availability and the possibility to consciously approach the change of employment and professional realization. This means having support in these processes, a fairly wide menu of options that a veteran can receive.

– The opportunity to find oneself in the field of entrepreneurship, starting a family business. For many wives, the issue of changing the workplace arises due to the needs of their husbands. Starting a joint business is an opportunity for economic capability, relationship restoration, and finding new stability. However, for many, this path will be possible when there is someone who will take on some of the entrepreneurial risks: part or all of the initial contribution, the possibility of managing the legal and financial side of the business.

Community must proactively care about such a menu of proposals, as well as about working with employers, services that will communicate with military personnel and veterans.

Social Inclusion

Soldiers, upon demobilization, have strong bonds of brotherhood. This means that soldiers will need space to communicate with their own, on the other hand – there is a risk of forming closed communities and social exclusion. There is a risk of constant re-traumatization and forming dependencies in veterans.

Regarding communication with those who do not have military experience, veterans and soldiers talk about the fear of communicating in large groups, about others not understanding their experiences. This means that the spaces where veterans will be should be inclusive to their needs, not create congestion of people and yet create opportunities for interaction.

At the same time, it is very important for veterans to understand the purpose of such interaction, it cannot just be based on the process or activity, but must have a practical result. Therefore, creating space for the sake of space, communication for networking may not evoke trust in veterans.

Many veterans note that despite demobilization, they want to continue to help their own, to help the army. Wives also confirm this thesis, some even express the assumption that men will be ready to return to the army. Considering this, it is important to create opportunities for veterans where they can continue to help achieve victory. This can be training veterans as instructors, but also work in the sector of charitable foundations, public organizations, and volunteer initiatives that work with the military.

In forming the social inclusion of veterans, one of the most sensitive issues is the problem of fairness and respect for veterans, such as an intensified sense of justice and differences in experience, emphasized by many respondents. Yuriy and Yuriy Ivanyshyn emphasize the need for peace, sincerity, and maximum respect in communication, as well as the need to avoid excessive questions about military experience, which can be perceived as intrusive. Respondents emphasize the importance of discussing the reason and purpose of the war, our response to it, and the consequences that will affect us. This can help in forming understanding between residents.

Therefore, the community and the environment of veterans need to be informed about the unique challenges that veterans face after returning from war and show tolerance, understanding, and readiness for support. This includes both emotional support and attention to the individual needs of veterans, as well as practical measures such as simplifying bureaucratic procedures, providing information and resources for adaptation, and facilitating social integration. 

Solutions for the return of veterans.

The survey shows that neither wives nor soldiers can think about the return, for them, the priorities are questions of survival and health preservation. Given this, they have little time to realize the challenges that veterans and families will face.

 A conditional roadmap for the return could help solve this, allowing for easy envisioning and planning of the adaptation of families and soldiers to the new state of affairs. Respondent emphasizes the need for accessible information about resources for veterans, such as work, family recreation, and reduced bureaucracy. The availability of a “veteran’s roadmap” in an accessible form, for example, through a mobile app or chatbot, is important.

The fear of getting stuck in bureaucracy and the need for recognition correlate in veterans. Considering this, it is important to prepare officials for communication with veterans today.

The biggest need for both sides is the need for time to restore connections. From the wives’ side, there is a significant readiness to postpone their own affairs and engage in this process. Therefore, one of the unique solutions is conducting family camps for veterans and their families.

The most demanded topics at the camps are understanding one’s own resilience and mental resource (especially for wives), understanding what happens to the warrior in the process of adapting to civilian life, the peculiarities of the psychological and mental experience of reintegration processes. There is also a need to be in nature, to have the opportunity to think, organize personal thoughts, and aspirations.

Health Rehabilitation. According to the words of wives and veterans, the issue of veterans’ health will manifest both immediately upon return and in the long-term perspective. It is important to know where to turn, as well as how to allocate one’s time. Most wives understand that there will not be enough medical staff, and they will have to allocate their own time to accompany their husband. It is important to have support tools for wives and providing them with qualifications necessary for care.

Employment and Professional Reconsideration. Veterans need time to reconsider their professional positions. However, this time must be effectively used for trials and safe mistakes. Possibly, these could be friendly business communities where veterans could have internships, training.

One of the solutions is the creation of business incubators with the possibility not only for men to participate in them but also for wives and support for businesses in the early stages.

Art therapy and cultural adaptation tools, in general, are seen as actions that can bring results, however, require a clear definition of the goal.

Veterans need comprehensive support and information to prepare for the return to civilian life. Important aspects include planning, support for social connections, access to medical care and psychological support, as well as individualized approaches to rehabilitation. Obtaining this knowledge and resources can contribute to a more successful adaptation of veterans to everyday life.

To improve the process of reintegration of veterans, a comprehensive solution to issues that encompasses employment, medical and psychological support, simplification of bureaucratic procedures, and the formation of an inclusive society with a culture of respect and gratitude to veterans is needed. Attention to the families of veterans, who experience adaptation along with them, is also important. Implementing these changes will require efforts both from the state and from civil society.

The experience of veterans with support from NGOs, volunteers, and community institutions is diverse, but certain aspects have been particularly useful: psychological support, outdoor activities, legal consultations, and a general sense of support from the community. At the same time, there is a need for improvement in bureaucratic processes and ensuring that volunteer assistance complements, rather than replaces, state services. This indicates the need for a balanced approach, where the state actively fulfills its obligations to veterans, and volunteer and public initiatives help provide broader support and individualized services.

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Conclusions

The key hypothesis of the study was confirmed: both veterans and their wives believe that active family participation in the process of returning to civilian life is key. Wives are ready to work on their husbands’ return.

However, wives and veterans see the difficulties of military return to civilian life differently. In particular, wives point to the closed nature of veterans’ communication circles, the possible increase in dependencies (referring to alcohol dependency). Veterans, on the other hand, talk more about the ethics of return and fair treatment by society. Common is the vision of the need for health rehabilitation (particularly mental and psychological), as well as opportunities for redefining the new role and identity of the veteran.

In light of this, family camps and art therapy are seen as quite universal tools that offer proper action and meaning, and most importantly – time that families can spend together.

Regarding business incubators and veteran cafes, opinions were divided. Owning a business implies a readiness to take on risks. Not all veterans and wives are ready for new risks. Therefore, if working with this tool, the model must include support for the subjectivity of veterans and insurance/support in dealing with risks. Veteran cafes and spaces, in the eyes of veterans, require proper program management, not just space. It’s notable that veterans are reluctant to communicate outside their bubble, so it’s important to properly select activities and target audiences – they must provide a sense of security and meaning/purpose of these activities not only for veterans but also for society at large.

When defining the experience of working with municipal, governmental structures, and public organizations, veterans and wives highly rate the work of individual employees of municipal structures and public organizations who try to help veterans. At the same time, everyone notes the bureaucratization of the process regarding obtaining status and certificates, which does not foster trust. Public organizations are primarily noted in the field of providing psychological assistance. At the same time, veterans and wives note that an individual approach, employed by public organizations, is important.