Military Psychology最新文献

Resilience is a vital psychological resource for military police personnel, who routinely operate in high-stress, high-risk environments that demand rapid decision-making, emotional regulation, and sustained mental stamina. While resilience training is increasingly integrated into military structures to foster adaptive coping and psychological endurance, the role of the psychological phenomenon avoidance - a commonly used but often maladaptive coping strategy - remains insufficiently examined in this context. This qualitative study explores how avoidance is experienced and managed among German military police personnel and how it may impede the development of resilience. Guided by two central research questions-(1) How does avoidance manifest itself? and (2) How do military police personnel deal with avoidance? - nineteen semi-structured interviews were conducted with active-duty military police members. Data were analyzed using qualitative content analysis. Findings reveal that avoidance is commonly perceived as the evasion of distressing experiences and is employed across a range of scenarios, both in routine duties and high-pressure situations. Avoidance emerges on cognitive, emotional, and behavioral levels, indicating a complex, multi-dimensional pattern. While some interviewees displayed growing awareness of their avoidance tendencies and a willingness to confront them, others remained ambivalent or unaware of their impact. Importantly, participants voiced a clear need for structured support, specifically through resilience-building training tailored to address and reduce avoidance behaviors. These findings suggest that the inclusion of targeted strategies for recognizing and mitigating avoidance should be a priority in future resilience training programs. The study offers implications for designing psychological support within military contexts and highlights key areas for further research.

Burnout, characterized by Emotional Exhaustion (EE), Depersonalization (DP), and Reduced Personal Accomplishment (PA), is a significant occupational hazard. Although extensively studied in other contexts, its prevalence and predictors among Portuguese military personnel have not been explored. This study investigates burnout prevalence and its sociodemographic and organizational predictors within the Portuguese Army. A total of 437 active-duty personnel completed the Maslach Burnout Inventory-Human Services Survey (MBI-HSS) alongside sociodemographic and organizational questionnaires. Results revealed that 2.3% of participants exhibited burnout across all dimensions, while 25.2% demonstrated engagement (low scores in all dimensions). High EE, DP, and PA were reported by 35.7%, 13.7%, and 45.5% of respondents, respectively. Logistic regression identified key burnout predictors: feeling undervalued by superiors, being enlisted, and being single significantly increased burnout risk. These findings align with the Job Demands-Resources model, highlighting how low support, high workload, and job insecurity exacerbate burnout, while marital support and stability mitigate it. Despite relatively low burnout prevalence, the study emphasizes the need for targeted interventions. Promoting supportive leadership, recognition, and preventive strategies is essential to improve well-being and operational performance in the military.

To date, few studies have evaluated treatment outcomes for military service members who complete massed treatments for posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Furthermore, no studies have directly compared treatment outcomes between service members and veterans in a massed treatment setting. In the present study, we evaluated treatment outcomes for military service members who completed an intensive treatment program (ITP) for PTSD and compared their outcomes to military veterans who completed the same program. Data were collected from 558 participants who identified as U. S. military service members (n = 68) or veterans (n = 490) during a two-week, cognitive processing therapy-based ITP. Results showed that service members and veterans experienced large reductions in PTSD (d = 1.26 & d = 1.35, respectively) and depression (d = .82 & d = 1.01, respectively) severity after treatment. In addition, the reductions in PTSD and depression severity for service members were equivalent to those of veterans using a Bayes factor equivalence approach. This study contributes to the limited literature on treatment outcomes for service members who complete massed treatments for PTSD. This research is particularly important as lawmakers and military leaders continue to remove barriers to treatment for service members suffering with PTSD.

Women Veterans (WVs) face unique challenges reintegrating into civilian life after military service. Yet, there is a current dearth of information on treatment outcomes and feasability among WVs, particularly regarding interventions that target reintegration focused content and outcomes. The present study is a secondary analysis of a randomized controlled trial that integrates quantitative and qualitative measures to assess WVs' outcomes and experiences with the STEP-Home (SH) transdiagnostic reintegration workshop. A total of 57 Veterans ages 24-65 years (n = 37 men; n = 20 women) completed SH and provided qualitative feedback post-intervention. Sex-stratified outcomes indicated that both men and women improved in reintegration (ps < 0.01), though the effect was smaller among WVs (ds = 0.42 vs 0.67). Women and men also experienced moderate improvements in neurobehavioral symptoms and frontal system functioning (ps < 0.001; ds = 0.48-1.00). WVs showed unique improvements in communication (p = .007, d = 0.50), and personal control (p = .016, d = 0.58). Men showed unique improvements in anger expression (p < .001, d = 0.52) and impulse control (p = .002, d = 0.57). Women represented 35% of Veterans who completed STEP-Home at follow up, a notable overrepresentation of women when compared to their prevalence in the US military. Dropout rates among WVs were similar to men (p > .05). Qualitative feedback indicated that some WVs (n = 5) preferred women only groups. WVs reported high satisfaction with SH, although women did indicate that women only groups may appeal to some WVs. Findings support the benefits of and satisfaction with virtual reintegration programs among WVs. They also emphasize the opportunity for future research focused on the implementation of virtual reintegration programs tailored to the growing population of WVs.Trial Registration: Clinicaltrials.gov: D2907-R.

Drug and alcohol misuse, sexual misconduct, and suicidal behaviors can negatively affect the well-being of personnel in high-risk occupations and compromise organizational effectiveness. While the U.S. Army has established policies, programs, and a professional prevention workforce to reduce the occurrence of these behaviors, soldiers who are in the presence of their at-risk peers are best positioned to intervene. Thus, to leverage the impact of peer-based bystander intervention, the Army developed a two-hour training entitled "Engage." Engage provides soldiers with instruction on fostering awareness of risky behaviors, taking responsibility in situations where such behaviors may occur, and having a plan of action for intervening on behalf of those at risk. A longitudinal quasi-randomized evaluation of Engage was conducted with active-duty soldiers over a nine-month period. Eight companies were assigned to receive Engage, and eight companies were assigned to a control condition. Surveys assessed training acceptability, knowledge related to bystander behaviors, confidence in intervening, and perceptions of unit engagement. Soldiers found the training to be acceptable, evidenced improved knowledge of bystander intervention concepts following training, and perceived their units to be more engaged in bystander practices over time. Longitudinal assessment of soldiers' confidence in intervening was moderate to high at baseline; while confidence remained stable over multiple follow-up assessments, no significant changes were observed due to training. These findings highlight the potential value of tailoring bystander intervention training for service members. Results also provide direction for improving such training for the military and other high-risk occupations.

This study examined psychological adaptation among 161 Israeli reserve soldiers who served as body handlers following the October 7, 2023, Hamas terror attack. The study assessed posttraumatic stress symptoms (PTS), posttraumatic growth (PTG), well-being (WB), resilience, belief in a just world (BJW), and coping strategies. Regression analyses revealed that resilience and BJW were positively associated with WB, while PTS negatively predicted it. PTG was predicted by younger age, higher PTS, resilience, and emotion-focused acceptance coping, whereas emotion-focused distancing coping was a negative predictor. Significant interactions were found: BJW was positively associated with PTG among older participants and those with high PTS; emotional acceptance was linked to WB among younger participants; and resilience was positively related to WB among those experiencing high PTS. The results highlight that PTG and WB are distinct yet coexisting indicators of adaptation. While WB was linked to resilience and cognitive frameworks such as BJW, PTG appeared to emerge from distress combined with reflective and meaning-making processes. These findings underscore the psychological complexity of post-trauma responses in extreme conditions and point to the importance of fostering both resilience and adaptive cognitive coping in trauma-exposed populations.

This paper examines the effects of mindfulness training on students attending a senior military college in the United States. In a 4-week pilot study (n = 31) and a subsequent in-depth 8-week study (n = 66, 18 women), participants were randomly assigned to a mindfulness training group (MG) or a nutrition training control group (CG). Each group completed a 60 min weekly training workshop, 20 min of daily homework for the remaining 6 days, brief journal entries about the homework, and seven assessments at the start and the conclusion of the study. The duration, frequency, and intensity of training of the intervention and control group were identical. Results indicate a significant decrease in stress in the MG and no change in the CG. The MG also reported a significant increase in their overall score on the Five Facet Mindfulness Questionnaire as well as the Observing, Describing, and Nonreactivity sub scores. CG changes did not reach significance on any of these variables. The sleep quality score on the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) indicated improved sleep quality for the MG but not the CG. The PSQI sleep efficiency score indicated lower sleep efficiency for the CG but not the MG. Findings demonstrate the effectiveness of mindfulness training for lowering stress levels, improving sleep quality, and increasing the frequency of behaviors associated with positive mental health such as nonreactivity in a student body that experiences the stresses from both the academic and military rigor that characterizes senior military colleges.

Unlike in efficacy trials, there can be notable variability in session frequency when PTSD treatment protocols, such a Prolonged Exposure (PE), are disseminated in clinical practice. The current study aimed to examine the impact of PE session frequency on treatment outcomes in a clinical Veteran sample. This study utilized retrospective data drawn from the Veterans Health Administration's Corporate Data Warehouse, a national data repository which includes Electronic Health Records. The extracted cohort of 648 Veterans was majority White-non-Hispanic and male [(M_age = 55.66 (14.08)]. All Veterans had a diagnosis of PTSD and completed in-person PE in outpatient Veterans Affairs behavioral health clinics between 2017 and 2018. The treatment outcome measure was the PTSD Checklist for DSM-5 (PCL-5). Linear multiple regression analyses did not find that session frequency predicted treatment outcome. Likewise, t-test results did not find differences in PCL-5 change scores based on session frequency. Effect sizes for pre- to post-treatment PCL-5 change scores ranged from d = 1.25 to 1.40. Overall, the current study suggests that PE may still be a useful intervention even when the treatment manual recommendation of weekly or twice weekly sessions cannot feasibly be conducted in clinical practice. Cross-validation is needed.

Extensive research on human resource management practices (HRM) practices has been conducted within traditional corporations, yet their application within military organizations remains largely unexplored. Drawn upon institutional theory, this study investigates the impact of HRM practices on workplace well-being (WWB) among military officers and soldiers in Taiwan, with a particular focus on the mediating role of military social responsibility (MSR). Furthermore, we examine the influence of an abusive supervision climate and military culture on the relationship between HRM practices and MSR. Our findings reveal that MSR mediates the relationship between HRM practices and WWB. Interestingly, while an abusive supervision climate weakens the positive relationship between HRM practices and MSR, a strong military culture can mitigate this negative impact. Our study contributes new insights into the relationship between HRM practices and WWB within the unique context of the military, highlighting the complex interplay of MSR, abusive supervision climate, and military culture.

Social support is an important protective factor against psychological health problems secondary to potentially traumatic events experienced during deployment in military populations. Measures of military social support are available but are often constrained to a single construct, requiring multiple measures to be administered. A brief tool that assesses multiple sources of support is needed. Accordingly, we examined the psychometric characteristics of a novel measure of military social support, the General Military Support Scale (GMSS), and its relationship with psychological health outcomes. Participants (N = 1,145) were U.S. medical service members deployed to Iraq. A sequential approach using exploratory structural equation modeling (ESEM) and confirmatory factor analyses was completed to examine the GMSS. Initial analyses supported a 3-factor solution with moderately correlated factors representative of perceived military unit belongingness, military unit trust, and non-military support (from significant others and the public). Bifactor-ESEM best fit the data and supported a well-defined general factor and strong loadings on specific factors, suggesting the utility of a GMSS total and three subscale scores. Findings provide initial evidence for the GMSS as a reliable and valid instrument of military social support that is significantly related to psychological health outcomes. The GMSS offers a brief measure to assess various social supports in the military unit and from nonmilitary sources that can screen and monitor service members. Future research is needed to further validate the psychometric properties of the GMSS and its generalizability across different military samples.