Qualitative Study on the Experiences of Adult Children of Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) Veterans

The study explores the experiences of adult children of Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) Veterans, aiming to understand the long-term outcomes of military service for family members and the mechanisms through which childhood experiences influence later-life outcomes. The participants are a diverse group of adult children of CAF Veterans, aged 18 and over, representing various factors such as age, geography, the Veteran’s rank, years of service, deployments, and element of service. Through semi-structured interviews, the study seeks to describe the participants’ experiences, identify long-term outcomes of military service for family members, explore the mechanisms facilitating resilience, and develop recommendations to inform policy and programming for contemporary military families. The findings will provide unique insights into how the early experiences of growing up in a military family influence the adult lives of these often overlooked individuals, highlighting the potential for resilience and the implications for supporting military families.