Military Psychology最新文献

Veterans in the United States are affected by suicide at higher rates than the general population. This may be due to a higher probability for veterans to use more lethal methods of suicides such as firearms. While veterans often decline to disclose suicidal tendencies to healthcare providers, they show higher connectedness and willingness to heed the advice of peers. Considering this information, it is important to analyze how veteran peers could assist in a suicidal crisis. Veteran responses (n = 1,247) to the Gatekeeper Behavior Scale (GBS) and Firearm Safety Scale (FSS) were analyzed to determine predictive traits of willingness to assist a peer securely store or disable firearms during a suicidal crisis. Results show that veterans are willing to assist in securing firearms to prevent suicide death but are more willing to do so by locking, removing or disabling the firearms than storing them with law enforcement. Older veterans were also more likely to report a willingness to intervene than their younger peers. Of the GBS predictors, only the Likeliness to Help subscale predicted a willingness to intervene with firearm safety. Recommendations for training and interventions that further encourage helping behavior during suicidal episodes are discussed.

Military culture is historically rooted in masculine characteristics and ideals. Yet, as of 2016, all occupational specialties in the United States military are open to women and, as such, the number of women that make up the Services is projected to continue rising. The growing presence of women within the military ranks may be at odds with the traditionally masculine military culture, potentially resulting in gender-based stigmatization of female Service members. The current study qualitatively assessed perceived gender stigmatization among newly commissioned male (n = 654, 87%) and female (n = 101, 13%) US Marine Corps officers entering The Basic Course (BOC) at The Basic School (TBS), a six-month secondary training course. A thematic analysis of open-ended survey questions identified that males and females described aspects of gender stigma similarly, with emphases on females' tendency to be viewed as weaker and needing to "prove themselves," and a call for equal physical fitness standards for both genders. There were mixed opinions as to whether gender stigmatization should be acknowledged and addressed or dismissed and ignored. Some participants voiced that bringing gender stigma to the attention of Service members could artificially inflate the magnitude of the issue and increase gender stigmatization that is otherwise negligible or non-existent. The insights offered by the participants of this study can help shape the direction of policies and procedures aimed at increasing equality and opportunities for success for Marine officers of all genders. Ultimately, the goal is to optimize physical and mental health and readiness for all Service members.

Linkages among psychological health problems, intimate relationship distress, and suicide risk have been widely studied, but less is known about how these factors interact, especially in military populations. With steady increases in suicide rates among active military and post-service members (SMs), it is critical to better understand the relation among known risk factors. The current study addresses this gap by testing a model hypothesizing that the association between intimate-relationship problems and suicidal ideation is mediated by individual mental health symptoms. We tested this model on a sample of 862 active-duty Air Force members in committed relationships. The sample consisted of 35.0% women and 64.8% men, with an average age of 21.9 years and a mean relationship length of 2.8 years. Findings supported the hypothesized statistical mediation model. Results indicated that relationship problems contribute to psychological health problems, which, in turn, are related to suicidal ideation. These findings may help direct suicide intervention and prevention protocols that consider intimate relationship distress as a significant risk factor. Limitations and further implications for policies regarding suicide prevention in the armed forces are discussed.

Fluid teams are teams whose members are drawn from various technical domains or organizational divisions and assembled to undertake a critical, time-limited task. Members of these teams are rapidly assembled, have no prior familiarity or experience working together, must begin work immediately to accomplish the task, and then cease to exist following completion. In this article, we elaborate and clarify the construct of fluid teams, examine the challenges of the fluid team context for military team performance, and propose approaches for supporting fluid team performance.

The objective is to examine the predictors of attrition in male and female candidates undergoing a 10-week early career military training program. 1006 candidates (79.5% male, 24.7 ± 3.2 years) consented to participating in a larger study examining predictors of injury during US Marine Corps Officer Candidates School (OCS). Participants completed a blood draw, demographic and psychological characteristics questionnaires, and two fitness tests. Participants were then grouped based on successful completion of OCS or not. Associations between potential predictors and attrition were analyzed using simple logistic regression analyses, followed by a backward stepwise elimination method. Area under the curve (AUC) of the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve was used to determine the accuracy of the attrition prediction model. 260 candidates (25.8%) attritted over the 10-week training, with the highest number of discharges during week 5. Musculoskeletal injury (MSKI) was the most common cause of attrition (30%), followed by non-MSKI medical (21.5%), and volitional withdrawals (19.6%). Sex, body mass index (BMI), resilience, initial physical fitness test score, combat fitness test (CFT) score, and prior military service were all significantly associated with attrition from OCS (all p < .05). The final prediction model of attrition included CFT score (p = .027) and resilience (p = .018). Multiple demographic, psychological, and fitness characteristics are associated with attrition from an early career military training course (OCS) and may be utilized as part of early screening procedures to identify and provide guidance for individuals at risk for not completing OCS.

This study seeks to enhance understanding of mental health trajectories across Navy deployments and the predictors of those trajectories by exploring a range of job design and individual-level factors. Personnel from the Royal Australian Navy were surveyed on pre-deployment, mid-deployment, and post-deployment. At pre-deployment, there were 559 (M_age = 30.19; male = 75.5%) survey responses, N = 112 survey responses could be linked at all time points (retention rate of 20.04% across all time points), and 314 personnel (56.2%) responded at least twice. Latent class growth analyses and growth mixture models were used to determine the trajectories that best fit the data. Separate models were developed for each of the mental health outcomes studied (i.e. psychological distress, perceived resilience, and perceived stress), plus a latent outcome representing a summary measure of psychological ill-health. This latent outcome, estimated as the most comprehensive assessment approach, was used to evaluate all 33 predictors. Consistent with previous work, we identified between two and four trajectories reflecting resilient/low symptom trajectories and heterogeneous symptom trajectories. There were a greater proportion of personnel in the heterogeneous symptom trajectories than identified in previous research. A key contribution of this work is the thorough comparison and ranking of factors that influence the deployment experience. We emphasize the importance of role demands and resources in determining these trajectories when compared directly to self-regulation strategies. Study findings highlight important implications for job design for military personnel during deployment and underscore the importance of adopting a holistic system approach to well-being.

Research on spouses' adjustment after military deployment has focused primarily on female spouses of male service members; little is known about how adjustment differs by gender. We used Walsh's family resilience framework to examine communication, belief system, organizational factors, and other stressors, likely associated with postdeployment adjustment. Using Millennium Cohort Family Study data, logistic regressions assessed risk and protective factors on spouses' and service members' time to adjust, exploring whether spouse gender moderated their associations. Findings indicated that the association of (1) spouses' perceptions of their own mental functioning with spouses' and service members' adjustment and (2) spouses' mental readiness for deployment with service members' adjustment both differed by spouse gender, with associations attenuated for male spouses and their service member partners. Other factors associated with family adjustment included the spouse's satisfaction with communication, the extent to which the service member shared deployment experiences, the extent to which the spouse was bothered by deployment experiences, the spouse's participation in postdeployment transition programs, the spouse's informal support during deployment, and length of deployment. Results indicated shared and gender-specific risk and protective factors associated with spouse and service member adjustment, demonstrating the importance of tailored military family support programs addressing the needs of different populations of military spouses.

Despite the repeal of "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" (DADT) over a decade ago, military processes and policies continue to function as significant structural and institutional barriers to research aimed at optimizing resources for military couples and families with marginalized sexual identities. Such research is essential given the apparent mental health and related disparities among lesbian, gay, bisexual, and those with other marginalized sexual identities (LGB+) active-duty service members (SMs), as well as the absence of appropriately tailored resources to support these members of the military community. In this paper, we review the empirical literature on the experiences and psychological health of LGB+ military couples, revealing severe limitations in our understanding of these diverse military romantic partnerships. We illuminate process-related barriers to conducting this essential research through an illustrative case example. Our review concludes with specific recommendations for reform and advocacy distinguished by coordinated efforts inclusive of all five military branches, policymakers, military leaders, researchers, and LGB+ stakeholders.