The physical health symptoms of ex-regulars: Findings from phase 4
The King’s Centre for Military Health Research (KCMHR) cohort study has long provided us with the opportunity to study a range of health and wellbeing outcomes relating to the UK Armed Forces. The cohort study has completed its fourth phase (2022-23), giving us 20 years of data on the serving and ex-serving personnel.
In 2025, Royal British Legion funded KCMHR to conduct independent research to investigate physical health symptoms reported at this most recent phase. You can read more about this research and our findings here.
A summary of the research
Physical health symptoms are bodily experiences people notice and report, such as pain, fatigue or hearing problems, which can sometimes indicate an underlying health condition.
The project used data from more than 3,000 participants in the Phase 4 sample, including up of serving and ex-serving Regular personnel. Most participants were male (90%), with a mean age of 48 years, and 63% had deployed to Iraq or Afghanistan. Since this sample represents a specific group, findings may not be generalisable to the whole veteran community.
Findings indicated that ex-serving Regulars reported more musculoskeletal problems, hearing problems, chronic pain and mobility problems than serving Regulars.
Furthermore, physical and mental health are closely linked. In an analysis of potential risk factors, we found the strongest links between physical health symptoms and probable common mental disorders (like anxiety or depression), post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and complex PTSD. Other risk factors relating to sociodemographics and military characteristics are included in the infographic linked above.
Overall, our findings highlight the importance of holistic, joined-up support that considers the interrelationships of physical and mental health.
A scientific manuscript including the full analysis is currently underway.
The full research team: Dr Laura Grover, Dr Howard Burdett, Rupa Bhundia, Professor Nicola T. Fear, Professor Sharon A.M. Stevelink and Dr Laura Palmer.