A small-scale study exploring the efficacy of scale modelling as an open intervention for military veterans with mental health conditions

Abstract

Medical discharges due to mental health conditions have steadily increased within the British Armed Forces since 2007, with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) cited for 41% of these. Mental health conditions can adversely impact engagement in activities of daily living. Research has shown that meaningful activity has benefits for mental well-being and engagement in this population. This small-scale study aimed to determine whether scale modelling had a measurable impact on veteran well-being and to describe how the results of this study may inform future occupational therapy research with veterans. This was a retrospective quantitative design using the Short Warwick and Edinburgh Mental Wellbeing Scale to gather pre- and post-engagement data from veterans attending scale-modelling groups. N = 12. There was a positive difference between pre- and post-engagement in scale modelling, p < 0.05, and effect size 0.61 within a limited participant pool. The Model-of-Human-Occupation and the Occupational Perspective of Health framework demonstrated that participants who found meaning and value in an activity were most likely to benefit from it. This study suggests that scale modelling enables health, well-being and independence for veterans if found meaningful by them. This is a limited-size study contributing to an under-researched area, opening pathways for further research with this participant group.