The moderating effect of the dispositional resilience on the relationship between Post-traumatic Stress Disorder and the professional quality of life of the military returning from the peacekeeping operations

Abstract

Recent studies have highlighted the increased risk of exposure to PTSD among military personnel who are faced with extreme stressor events, the stress related to the peacekeeping mission, indicates that even peacekeepers could be at risk of developing PTSD independently of war attacks or wounds.  The resilience’s construct has a strong theoretical background, and in a pragmatic way has been shown to be a significant stress resistance resource in multiple groups, like those involved in military and security operations. The aim of this study was to examine the impact of resilience on the relationship between post-traumatic stress disorder (measured through the Davidson trauma scale) and professional quality of life. Our sample included 399 (138 females, 261 males) military who carried out peacekeeping operations between 2017 and 2019. In order to test the moderation hypothesis, a hierarchical regression analysis was performed, and a three-step regression model was carried out. The results that emerged in our study reveal that the moderating effect of resilience is evident in all the effects of on the professional quality of life.