The Family Wellbeing Factors project is part of the Australian Defence Force (ADF) Families Research Project, established in response to Recommendation 121 of the Royal Commission into Defence and Veteran Suicide. The project aims to improve Defence’s understanding of the factors that influence the wellbeing of currently serving Defence families and support evidence-informed policy and program development.

Defence recognises that family wellbeing is closely linked to member wellbeing, capability, and operational effectiveness. Military families experience many of the same challenges as civilian families, while also managing unique aspects of military service such as postings, deployments, separations, transitions and service-related health challenges.

This Family Wellbeing Factors project is being delivered through a series of research outputs.

Reports

Contextual Review of Defence Family Wellbeing Factors

The technical report was completed in September 2026 and provides an evidence map of the international and Australian published literature on military family wellbeing. The review examined the quality, scope and focus of existing evidence across a range of life stages and challenges, including:

• parenting
• childhood and adolescence
• partner relationships
• health and wellbeing
• caregiving
• service-related injury
• family transitions.

Findings indicate that the available evidence is predominantly international, particularly from the United States, with comparatively limited Australian research. The report identifies areas where evidence is strongest, highlights knowledge gaps, and provides a foundation for future Defence family wellbeing research.

Contextual review of Defence Family Wellbeing Factors (PDF, 6.38 MB)