Happiness in US military veterans: Results from a nationally representative study.
In line with the US Department of Veterans Affairs' adoption of a Whole Health approach to healthcare, there has been growing interest in factors linked to veterans' perceptions of well-being. To date, no known study has examined levels and correlates of perceived happiness in this populat...
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| Main Authors: | , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Public Library of Science (PLoS)
2024-01-01
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| Series: | PLoS ONE |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0313609 |
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| author | Hun Kang Ian C Fischer Peter J Na Robert H Pietrzak |
| author_facet | Hun Kang Ian C Fischer Peter J Na Robert H Pietrzak |
| author_sort | Hun Kang |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | In line with the US Department of Veterans Affairs' adoption of a Whole Health approach to healthcare, there has been growing interest in factors linked to veterans' perceptions of well-being. To date, no known study has examined levels and correlates of perceived happiness in this population. To examine this question, we analyzed data from the National Health and Resilience in Veterans Study, which surveyed a nationally representative sample of 4,069 US military veterans. Overall, veterans reported mean happiness scores of 5.41 out of 7. Greater purpose in life was the strongest correlate of happiness, followed by lower severity of depressive symptoms, and higher optimism, emotional stability, and resilience. Among veterans who screened positive for depression, those who scored higher on measures of optimism, emotional stability, and resilience reported greater happiness. Interventions to leverage these modifiable psychosocial characteristics may help promote happiness and subjective well-being in this population. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-d8d7a4f8a8d846a9bedf88ec18c31172 |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 1932-6203 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2024-01-01 |
| publisher | Public Library of Science (PLoS) |
| record_format | Article |
| series | PLoS ONE |
| spelling | doaj-art-d8d7a4f8a8d846a9bedf88ec18c311722025-01-08T05:33:24ZengPublic Library of Science (PLoS)PLoS ONE1932-62032024-01-011912e031360910.1371/journal.pone.0313609Happiness in US military veterans: Results from a nationally representative study.Hun KangIan C FischerPeter J NaRobert H PietrzakIn line with the US Department of Veterans Affairs' adoption of a Whole Health approach to healthcare, there has been growing interest in factors linked to veterans' perceptions of well-being. To date, no known study has examined levels and correlates of perceived happiness in this population. To examine this question, we analyzed data from the National Health and Resilience in Veterans Study, which surveyed a nationally representative sample of 4,069 US military veterans. Overall, veterans reported mean happiness scores of 5.41 out of 7. Greater purpose in life was the strongest correlate of happiness, followed by lower severity of depressive symptoms, and higher optimism, emotional stability, and resilience. Among veterans who screened positive for depression, those who scored higher on measures of optimism, emotional stability, and resilience reported greater happiness. Interventions to leverage these modifiable psychosocial characteristics may help promote happiness and subjective well-being in this population.https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0313609 |
| spellingShingle | Hun Kang Ian C Fischer Peter J Na Robert H Pietrzak Happiness in US military veterans: Results from a nationally representative study. PLoS ONE |
| title | Happiness in US military veterans: Results from a nationally representative study. |
| title_full | Happiness in US military veterans: Results from a nationally representative study. |
| title_fullStr | Happiness in US military veterans: Results from a nationally representative study. |
| title_full_unstemmed | Happiness in US military veterans: Results from a nationally representative study. |
| title_short | Happiness in US military veterans: Results from a nationally representative study. |
| title_sort | happiness in us military veterans results from a nationally representative study |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0313609 |
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