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Objective: ADHD is often a lifelong condition, and has grown increasingly prevalent over the past few decades. Adolescence is a period characterized by the quest to develop a coherent identity, yet relatively little research has examined the relationship between ADHD diagnosis and identity. The purpose of this study was to explore the importance of experiences of the healthcare system and of peer relationships in the identity formation of adolescents with ADHD.

Method: This was investigated through semi-structured interviews with 10 adolescents (n = 8 females and 2 males) aged 15 to 18 years. An inductive thematic analysis was conducted within a narrative framework.

Results: The results revealed seven main themes indicating that ADHD played a central role in the adolescents’ self-narratives: (1) limited effect of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry (CAP) contact on identity formation, (2) the ADHD concept as meaning-making, (3) heterogeneity of the role of medication on identity formation, (4) negotiation of identity in relation to others, (5) varying degrees of acceptance in different relationships, (6) perceiving oneself as a troublemaker, and (7) relationship difficulties.

Conclusions: Overall, the diagnosis constituted an important narrative and symptoms of ADHD rather than the label of ADHD tended to be stigmatizing. Furthermore, medication affected identity, and some felt pressured to medicate to adhere to social norms. A common pattern was that adolescents set aside their individual identity in favor of their relational identity.

The purpose of this article is to foster a better general understanding of military chaplains within NATO by elucidating their roles, highlighting what distinguishes military chaplains from military medical (psychiatrists and psychologists), and offering general suggestions on how military commanders at the tactical (battalion) level can benefit from military chaplains. The context for this paper is the ongoing research conducted by NATO’s Science and Technology Organization (STO) Human Factors and Medicine (HFM) Research Task Group (RTG) 352, titled “Moral Challenges in the Future Security Environment (FSE): Guidance for Leaders”, which began in 2022 and will continue through 2025. The research methodology employed in this article is known as collaborative inquiry, which emphasizes a partnership between academic researchers in military chaplaincy and practitioners (i.e. military chaplains) with the aim of bridging the gap between theory and practice. The following three questions have guided the collaborative methodology: What do military chaplains typically do when supporting service members? What concepts are used to describe their work? What distinguishes military chaplains from medical professionals? The results are presented in the article and describe, among other things, that despite significant variations among NATO members’ military chaplaincy services, chaplains generally exercise a ministry of presence. They are trained to address a wide range of spiritual, religious, moral, ethical and existential issues among service members and veterans. Additionally, non-clinical concepts related to moral injury (not yet a clinical diagnosis), such as guilt, shame, forgiveness, reconciliation, fall within the expertise of chaplains. Chaplains’ commitment to professional secrecy and confidentiality – considered absolute by some chaplains – as well as the ethical distance (from the command structure) provides a safe space for military personnel and veterans to express their feelings, thoughts, and experiences. Additionally, military chaplains are often experts in dealing with death and grief, enabling them to conduct ritually and morally dignified farewells for fallen soldiers and provide support to their comrades and units. These are just some examples of the areas of expertise that military chaplains typically master.

This article is the first of two (Part 1 and Part 2) that shed light on militarychaplaincy in war-torn Ukraine. The first article introduces military chaplaincy inUkraine and sets the stage for Part 2, which focuses on the lessons learned by Ukrainianmilitary chaplains (MCs). The articles are based on interviews exploring the roles, practicesand insights of Ukrainian MCs during wartime, addressing a significant gap in theexisting research. Twelve male MCs participated in the study. Most of the participantshad served on the frontlines since the onset of the war in 2014, while a few joined morerecently, bringing a range of experiences, religious affiliations and branches of service(Army, Navy and Air Force). The interview data were analysed using thematic analysiswith an inductive approach. This first article presents the development, roles and tasksof military chaplaincy, covering the volunteer phase that began in 2014 and the professionalizationof military chaplaincy starting in 2022 and beyond. It also illustrateshow MCs operated in both non-combat and combat situations with their units. Thisresearch offers unique insights into the chaplaincy work of some of the most experiencedwartime MCs.

This article is the second in a two-part series on military chaplaincy in war-torn Ukraine. While the first article (Grimell, 2024a) provided background informa­tion, including empirical interview data on military chaplaincy in Ukraine, this second article focuses on the lessons learned by Ukrainian military chaplains (MCs). Both articles are based on a recent qualitative interview study exploring the roles, practices and insights of Ukrainian MCs during wartime, addressing a significant gap in exist­ing research. Twelve male MCs (n = 12) participated in the study, with most having served on the frontlines since the onset of the war in 2014. The interview data were analysed using an inductive approach to thematic analysis. This article (Part 2) covers the insights and lessons learned by Ukrainian MCs, detailing their work in morality, ethics and character formation, their supportive presence within military units and the essential role of confidentiality as a release valve for military personnel. The analy­sis also examines complex spiritual and existential challenges faced by MCs, the per­sonal impacts of the war on them and their methods for sustaining spiritual resilience and well-being. Findings highlight the critical, adaptable support that MCs provide to military personnel under extreme conditions, and they reveal how the wartime con­text has shaped their collaboration with mental health providers. The study also iden­tifies desired qualities in wartime MCs and underscores the importance of church and religious organizations in supporting grieving families, and in facilitating social and charitable activities. This research provides unique insights into the chaplaincy work of some of the most experienced wartime MCs in Ukraine.

The aim of this article was to explore the stresses of war on the human soul, utilizing empirical research on the experiences and contributions of military chaplains (MCs) in the war in Ukraine. The concept of the human soul was examined through a theoretical framework inspired by Mead's notions of the I and the Me. The I represented the unique, creative, and transcendent aspects of a person, while the Me reflected the cultural and social constructs that integrated individuals into broader socio-cultural contexts. This interplay between the I and the Me formed the basis for understanding the human soul as both transcending culture and deeply embedded within it. The empirical material was derived from a qualitative interview study conducted in 2024 with 12 Ukrainian MCs. Data analysis employed thematic coding using an inductive approach, resulting in the identification of key themes related to the moral, ethical, and character dimensions of military service. An abductive approach was employed in the analysis, which allowed concepts to cross-fertilize the key themes. The findings revealed that war disrupted the social structures, norms, and values that underpin peaceful societies, profoundly impacting the mental health of military personnel. MCs played a crucial role in mitigating these effects by fostering moral coherence, upholding ethical standards of the Me, and safeguarding the human Me of soldiers in the face of dehumanizing wartime conditions. Their work was deeply rooted in cultural and religious traditions, enabling them to address existential and moral issues that transcended the scope of conventional medical interventions. By offering confidential pastoral care, MCs created spaces for military personnel to process and interpret their experiences, reconnect with their moral and spiritual identities, or Me's, and maintain operational effectiveness. This pastoral, culturally grounded approach complemented—and, in some cases, surpassed—medical models in addressing the complex challenges of existential mental health during war. The article underscored the need for a more holistic understanding of war-related mental health challenges, emphasizing the importance of integrating cultural, moral, and religious/spiritual dimensions into care frameworks.

This article is based on a rare longitudinal interview study on the transition frommilitary to civilian life in which participants shared their experiences over the courseof ten years. The challenges of transition included disconnection from a collectivelife that had previously offered service members identity, community, camaraderieand purpose – experiences that can be understood as the partial loss of somethingprofound. An abductive analysis was conducted which centred on the integrating fociof commitment and the creation of a military identity derived from implicit religion.When viewed through this lens, the significance or strength of implicit religion andbelief, in the context of military commitment, can be described as paramount andsacred –worthy of dying for. The findings offer a novel understanding of the profoundexperiences related to military communal life, purpose, and identity during activeservice (that is, the conceptualization as implicit religion) as well as the loss of theseimplicit religious elements during the transition out of military life, and how theparticipants have thought about and dealt with this loss in various ways.

This article describes the mental health of Swedish veterans of foreign conflicts with a focus on Veteran Health Limbo, which is also the name of an ongoing research project. Veteran Health Limbo refers to those veterans of foreign conflicts whose mental healthis suffering, but who do not meet the criteria for clinical PTSD. The term limbo is used because the veterans are in between two health poles: a balanced well-being and a clinically diagnosable deterioration in mental health. Up to half of the patients at the veteran clinic in Sweden belong to this group. The concept of moral injury is a potential lens for understanding a decline in mental health that is not clinical and pathological. This article discusses this in a Swedish context.

Den här artikeln beskriver måendet hos svenska utlandsveteraner och tar sikte på Veteranhälsans limbo, vilket också är namnet ett pågående forskningsprojekt. Veteranhälsans limbo åsyftar de utlandsveteraner som upplever ett försämrat mående och ökat lidande men ändå inte uppfyller kriterierna för klinisk PTSD. Uttrycket limbo används för att veteranerna befinner sig mitt emellan två måendepoler; ett balanserat välmående och en kliniskt diagnostiserbart försämrat mående. Upp till hälften av patienterna på veteranmottagningen i Sverige tillhör denna grupp. Begreppet moralisk skada ger en potentiell lins för att förstå ett försämrat mående som inte är kliniskt och patologiskt. I artikeln diskuteras detta, inklusive stödåtgärder, den svenska kontexten och framtida utmaningar.

As service members transition from deployment to civilian life, they are also expected to reintegrate into society. An important part of this process is to “soften up” veteran or warrior identities and open up the self for both existing and new identities, mindsets, and ways of life. Past research has shown that the warrior mindset, in particular, can have negative health implications in the long run. The mindset can be costly, not only for the individual and their loved ones, but also for the healthcare services and other agencies. This article draws from a recent interview study with 24 deployed Swedish veterans suffering from deteriorating mental health without receiving a clinical diagnosis. Purposeful sampling was conducted with the support of the medical staff at the Veterans’ Clinic at Uppsala University Hospital. Participants had been screened for posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) but had not received a clinical diagnosis. This constitutes a large and understudied patient group in the clinic. The medical staff selected patients based on the following criteria: deteriorating mental health, increased suffering related to PTSD symptoms, and issues related to moral issues, existential concerns, and identity. The sample included veterans from both the Swedish Armed Forces and other deploying agencies. Of the 24 interviewees, 19 were from the Swedish Armed Forces (16 men and three women), and five (four women and one man) were deployed by other agencies. The number of overseas deployments varied widely, with some interviewees having completed 1–2 deployments, while others had completed 3–8. Additionally, some interviewees had interrupted planned or ongoing deployments for various reasons. At the time of the interviews, none were serving full-time in the armed forces; all were veterans. The interviews took place during an intense wave of COVID-19 infections in Sweden in early 2022, so the majority were conducted via videoconference. The participants’ veteran identities were abductively analyzed through the mask of secrecy, the stoic mask, and the mask of denial, which are elements of the “Mask of the Warrior.” This mask functions to safeguard mission focus, to endure, to execute tasks in extremely stressful situations, and to solve operational tasks during deployments and combat operations. The analysis of the interviews suggests that certain elements in these powerful veteran identities can serve as breeding grounds for suffering later in life. The veterans in the study tended to be stoic about their deteriorating mental health, kept the suffering to themselves, and denied the harmful aspects of their deployments. Thus, the Mask of the Warrior played a counterproductive role for the individual, their friends and family, and life in the aftermath of deployments. Another implication of secrecy and denial occurred on the societal or macro and system levels due to the absence of sufficient insight, knowledge, and understanding of veterans among personnel within the healthcare system and other agencies. This made it difficult for the healthcare system, and other relevant agencies, to offer adequate care and to understand the participants’ health issues during sick leave. The perceived absence of societal and organizational rewards and benefits for veterans who risk their mental health and lives during deployment can be seen as a failing implicit work contract. This lack of recognition may lead to the corrosion of character.

This chapter uses the concepts of trauma and nostalgia to analyze theportrayal of PTSD in homecoming films. Nostalgia, integral to the study ofbattle’s psychological effects, has evolved in cultural studies to scrutinizepower dynamics in depictions of “home.” This chapter scrutinizes howfilms depict the relationship between trauma and home. Drawing fromSvetlana Boym’s distinction between restorative and reflective nostalgia,the former emphasizes national continuity, while the latter acknowledgesgaps and inconsistencies in the concept of “home.” The chapter contendsthat reflective nostalgia provides a more realistic representation of peoplewith PTSD and offers a more promising portrayal of their path toward“redemption,” wherein veterans navigate their enduring wounds.

In the 20th century, military medicine and psychiatry emerged as dominant paradigms in Western military contexts, shaping practices across recruitment, selection, training, screening, evaluation, diagnosis, and treatment. This approach paralleled trends in broader Western society, where it has faced criticism for medicalizing social, psychological, spiritual, and existential issues, often applying methods ill-suited to address certain forms of suffering. Despite this shift, alternative approaches embodied by military priests have maintained a meaningful role in the Swedish Armed Forces, in a country often, if somewhat misleadingly, regarded as one of the world’s most secularized. This article aims to elucidate the foundations, concepts, distinctiveness, and contributions of military soul care—militär själavård in Swedish—as practiced by military priests, or fältpräster, within the Swedish military context. Unlike chaplains (ordained and others) in other Swedish settings (e.g., hospitals, prisons, schools, airports, police) or military chaplains internationally, Swedish military priests operate within a unique mandate and purpose. Military soul care aims to build resilience to crises and wartime conditions, strengthening individuals’ will to defend and fight. The framework encompasses military soul care and counseling, advisory roles, education, ceremonies (including field sermons, prayers, memorials), and support for commanders in times of crisis. While military medicine and psychiatry continue to hold normative authority in a Swedish military society, there is a growing recognition that military personnel require more than physical conditioning to build mental resilience. Enduring the complex stresses of warfare demands approaches that transcend medical perspectives, addressing the human condition within a cultural and symbolic context. This article highlights key historical, societal, military, and ecclesiastical perspectives essential for understanding why this distinctive approach to military soul care has emerged in Sweden.