Phenomenological Study of Social Isolation and Social Problems of Veterans' Families: Studying Viewpoints of Spouses

This study was designed and conducted to explore social isolation and social problems of veterans' families from the perspective of spouses. To do so, 30 spouses of veterans living in Tehran were interviewed. Experimental phenomenological approach in analyzing interviews with veterans' wives revealed several main and secondary themes in their family life. Limited outdoor activities and being more at home, inadequate formal and informal social support networks lead to the isolation of veterans' families and increase the likelihood of social problems such as domestic violence, addiction and divorce. These results, while emphasizing the findings of previous research, contain an important point. Although the effect of the severity of injury on family life has been accepted, the results of the study revealed that the type of injury is a more important variable that determines the social role of the veteran and his interactions with family and his family in society.