Workplace Factors Affecting Mental Health Service Utilization Among Post-9/11 Veterans: A Scoping Review Protocol

VA and non-VA studies of post-9/11 Veterans show that roughly one-third of newly separated Veterans screen positive for a probable mental health condition, yet a sizable proportion do not engage with either VA or community mental health services. Much of the evidence on utilization focuses on individual and system-level determinants (symptom severity, prior deployment, race/ethnicity, and VA access), while workplace-specific determinants in civilian employment are less frequently the primary focus and are often embedded within broader examinations of reintegration and social determinants of health. The existing evidence indicates that workplace-specific factors in the civilian labor market play a meaningful but still under-characterized role in shaping mental health service utilization among post-9/11 Veterans, with stigma, work conditions, and supervisor culture emerging as central influences. This scoping review will systematically map the breadth and nature of existing evidence on workplace-specific factors influencing mental health service utilization among post-9/11 Veterans employed in the civilian workforce. Using the PCC (Population, Concept, Context) framework and following PRISMA-ScR reporting standards, we will conduct comprehensive searches across multiple databases (PubMed, PsycINFO, Scopus, Web of Science, PTSDpubs, CINAHL, Business Source Complete) and gray literature sources. The resulting synthesis will characterize workplace facilitators and barriers to mental health service utilization, identify critical evidence gaps, and inform the design of employer-partnership interventions and VA-integrated strategies to enhance mental health service engagement among employed post-9/11 Veterans.