ABSTRACT

Engaging on challenging duties, and returning to civilian life, are part of a routine military life both of which may negatively impact on their wellbeing. Numerous initiatives exist which aim to support the wellbeing of serving/transitioning personnel including, more recently, archaeology-based programs. However, little is known about the impact of archaeology – based programs making it difficult to know if they should be recommended or not. This study sought to empirically determine if involvement in the Waterloo Uncovered (WU) archaeology-based program had a positive impact on mental wellbeing in veterans and serving military personnel (VSMP). VSMP (n=36) who participated in WU programs in 2017 or 2019 completed questionnaires assessing their mental wellbeing using the Warwick-Edinburgh Mental Wellbeing Scale (WEMWBS) at baseline, immediately after the dig and 11 weeks later. Results indicate measurable and sustained improvements in psychological well-being in VSMP although further work is required to measure how this influences transition to civilian life.

摘要

从事具有挑战性的职责并重返平民生活是日常军事生活的一部分，这两者都可能对他们的幸福产生负面影响。存在许多旨在支持在职/过渡人员福祉的举措，包括最近基于考古学的计划。然而，人们对基于考古学的项目的影响知之甚少，因此很难知道是否应该推荐它们。本研究试图通过经验确定参与滑铁卢未发现 (WU) 考古项目是否对退伍军人和现役军人 (VSMP) 的心理健康产生积极影响。在 2017 年或 2019 年参加 WU 计划的 VSMP（n=36）完成了使用 Warwick-Edinburgh 心理健康量表（WEMWBS）在基线时评估其心理健康的问卷，挖掘后立即和 11 周后。结果表明，VSMP 的心理健康得到了可衡量且持续的改善，尽管需要进一步的工作来衡量这如何影响向平民生活的过渡。