Examining changes in mental well-being among UK veterans during engagement with a social welfare law advice service: A therapeutic jurisprudence perspective

Therapeutic jurisprudence (TJ) highlights how legal processes and legal actors may shape the psychological experiences of those who engage with the law. This study uses TJ as an interpretive framework to examine changes in mental well-being among veterans accessing a free social welfare legal advice service. Using the Warwick-Edinburgh Mental Wellbeing Scale (WEMWBS), we compared well-being scores at service entry (baseline) and follow-up. Follow-up surveys were issued after a minimum of 14 days and re-sent at approximately two-week intervals. Because completion depended on participant response, the interval between baseline and follow-up varied (median 78 days, IQR 29-179; range 10-749; n = 100). Among veterans reporting mental health challenges at baseline, WEMWBS scores increased from a median of 28.00 (IQR = 14.00) at baseline to 35.00 (IQR = 15.25) at follow-up, consistent with higher reported well-being during the service engagement period. Exploratory analyses of item-level change indicated that improvements were strongest for items relating to cognitive clarity, relaxation, cheerfulness, and managing problems, alongside smaller improvements in perceived usefulness and optimism. Items loading on Component 3 (social connectedness) did not show significant change. Future research combining quantitative and qualitative methods is needed to examine client experiences, perceived procedural justice, outcome favourability and the durability of well-being changes over time.