Iranian Journal of War and Public Health

Aims: One of the most important programs of the policymakers, legislators, and administrators is to protect the general health of the citizens and especially, of the veterans. The occupational therapy includes the daily activities such as sleeping and rest, education, occupation, recreation, ad social participation. The aim of the qualitative study was to investigate the effects of unemployment mood on the veterans’ general health. 

Participants and Methods: In the qualitative study, 25 male veterans, who were eligible for the employment law, were studied in Tehran, in 2009. Interviews were done via data saturation method. Data was collected by open, semi-open, and semi-structured interviews. Verbal informed consents were taken, and the subjects were informed of anonymity and confidentiality of information, with their right to withdraw at any stage of the interviews.

Findings: Totally, 45 sub-themes were extracted from the interviews. The sub-themes were categorized under 5 themes, including family problems, social problems, physical problems, mental problems, and financial problems, their most important sub-themes were dissatisfaction with the families and reduced family management role, reduced relationship with others, feeling of premature aging, sadness and feeling to be not useful, and lower financial helps than the occupation period, respectively.

Conclusion: The veterans and their children suffer a feeling of to be burden in society more than the financial problems and unemployment. Nowadays, it is necessary to formulate employment laws aiming at the effects of activities and job on the citizens’ health. In addition, the administrators should attempt to pass supporting laws aiming at proper occupations for the veterans to enhance public health.