No Sky Too High, No Sea Too Rough: Qualitative Investigation of Resilience and Suicide in Special Operations Forces Service Members.

Abstract

Purpose: To investigate resilience in American Special Operations Forces (SOF) personnel.

Method: A qualitative descriptive exploratory design was used to interview Special Forces and Navy SEAL participants about their perspectives on and experiences of resilience. Assumptions that high resilience inversely correlates with suicide risk in SOF drove our primary research questions and study focus. Questions were based on Holling's theory of ecological resilience.

Results: Participants provided insightful and detailed data of their resilience and were often self-effacing or self-critical. Responses indicated that although quite resilient, SOF personnel express their resilience in ways known to become pathological and precipitate suicidality if left undetected. Extracted subthemes indicated commitment to others over self and a nexus of trait variables linked to suicidality. Estimated neurotrauma from repetitive blast exposures should be incorporated in future models.

Conclusion: Findings challenge prevailing beliefs that dysfunctional behaviors and suboptimal resilience drive SOF suicide. Results herein justify future research and changes to command postures and U.S. Department of Defense initiatives regarding relationships between and among variables of resilience, neurotrauma, and suicide in SOF. [Journal of Psychosocial Nursing and Mental Health Services, xx(xx), xx-xx.].