This study examined the relationship between sexual harassment and depression as a function of th... more This study examined the relationship between sexual harassment and depression as a function of the actions that women took in response to the harassment. Active duty military women, DoD- employed civilian women, and military and civilian spouses (N=767) responded to a survey on quality of life and work issues distributed to personnel throughout the US Army-Europe (USAREUR). Overall, women who reported that they had experienced sexual harassment since their arrival to USAREUR showed significantly higher levels of depression than women who reported that they had not experienced harassment. However, this was true only -for women who minimized the significance of the incident, attempted to keep the harassment to themselves, believed that their complaint would be ignored, or reported the harassment but were unaware of the outcome. These findings are discussed in terms of how women's perceptions of the organizational climate and grievance process may influence the actions they take in...
Army Casualty Assistance work has no directly comparable civilian occupation. However, like civil... more Army Casualty Assistance work has no directly comparable civilian occupation. However, like civilian human service occupation, soldiers working in the casualty area are susceptible to job stressor that can lead to low morale, stress, burnout and psychiatric illness. In order to ascertain sources of job related stress and coping mechanisms, this report describes the role of one type of Army casualty worker, the 'Notification NCO.' In addition to comparing different types of casualty workers with the Notification NCO, this study utilizes multiple research methods including participant observation, interview surveys, oral histories and instrument measures over a one year period. The salient job stressors uncovered are exposure to death through telephonic contact with bereaved family members and learning the details surrounding an individual soldier's injury or death. Job stressors are moderated by informal hiring practices, effective on-the-job training, commitment to the m...
Since the Persian Gulf War in 1991, the U.S. Army has devoted increased attention to field studie... more Since the Persian Gulf War in 1991, the U.S. Army has devoted increased attention to field studies aimed at identifying and understanding the critical "human dimensions" issues that can affect soldier health and well-being, morale, cohesion and performance. Army social psychologists have conducted human dimensions studies in several recent military operations in such places as Croatia, Somalia and Kuwait. This paper draws on these experiences to summarize the important methodological and practical considerations in doing such work. Future military human dimensions field research should benefit from this treatment of key issues in the design and execution of such studies.
This codebook contains data from a survey of international military psychologists (or other menta... more This codebook contains data from a survey of international military psychologists (or other mental health professionals) conducted by the US Army Medical Research Unit-Europe. The survey, using both open-ended questions and checklists, covered topics such as the role of psychologists in the military, the role of psychologists on deployments, an overview of military psychology research related to peacekeeping, lessons learned from deployment, the role of debriefing in the military, and suggestions for future international cooperation. The survey was mailed to social scientists and mental health professionals in 44 different countries from July 1995 through July 1996. Survey respondents were identified through conference and association mailing lists as well as from informal networking. The data are based on 30 individual responses from 23 countries, or a 52% return rate. Similarities identified across national lines include the ambivalent perception of psychology by military leaders,...
U.S. military forces are increasingly involved in a variety of multinational peacekeeping and hum... more U.S. military forces are increasingly involved in a variety of multinational peacekeeping and humanitarian assistance missions. How well combat-trained units and soldiers adapt to these new roles will determine U.S. success in such operations, as well as the future health and readiness of the force. In preparing soldiers for such missions, it is critical that leaders and health care providers have a clear understanding of the nature of the stressors they are likely to encounter. This report summarizes findings from a longitudinal, descriptive case study of a U.S. Army medical unit performing a peacekeeping mission in the former Yugoslavia. The goal of the investigation was to identify key sources of stress and to delineate the effect of these stressors on the health, morale, and mental readiness of soldiers. Findings suggest a range of psychological stressors that varies somewhat across operational phases of a peacekeeping mission. Furthermore, the degree of stress experienced in va...
This paper reports on data from a survey of international military mental health professionals. I... more This paper reports on data from a survey of international military mental health professionals. In a series of open-ended questions, respondents were asked to describe their country in terms of the field of military psychology, the role of mental health professionals on deployment, the degree to which the field of mental health is accepted in the military, and their contact with their international counterparts. The survey was mailed to 44 different countries from July 1995 through July 1996. The data are based on 30 individual responses from 23 different countries. Cultural differences included the role of psychologists in the military and on deployment, the degree of professional isolation, and specific services provided by psychologists. Cultural similarities included the ambivalent response to the mental health field by military leaders, the use of psychology as a prevention tool, and the degree of interest in international contact and exchange. The discussion focuses on three o...
Military personnel are seeing a sudden increase in peacekeeping and humanitarian relief missions.... more Military personnel are seeing a sudden increase in peacekeeping and humanitarian relief missions. These missions have the potential for producing psychological ambiguities surrounding the relevance of the mission to the individual's identity as a soldier, the guidelines for how to behave during the mission, and the degree of control individuals feel they have over their job on the mission. In the present research we examined the beliefs of US Army Europe (USAREUR) soldiers (N=1420) about the Bosnia peace-enforcement mission prior to their deployment. Questions assessing beliefs included how much control soldiers thought they would have on their job, how well-trained they were for their job, how comfortable they felt in the role of peacekeeper, and the importance of peacekeeping operations. We assessed the impact of these beliefs on soldiers' feelings of responsibility, morale, depression, and excitement and worry about the deployment. The results from the soldiers participat...
A team of two military psychologists (the authors) traveled to Albania to provide training to Alb... more A team of two military psychologists (the authors) traveled to Albania to provide training to Albanian military sociologists in psychological issues associated with peacekeeping deployment in connection with the North Atlantic Treaty Organization's Partnership for Peace program. The training, based on research conducted by the authors, emphasize the typical problems faced by peacekeepers. The information presented was adjusted to better meet the particular needs of the Albanians. Topics of primary interest to the Albanians are discussed with an emphasis on the Albanian cultural context. General lessons for future Partnership for Peace training are also presented.
The military profession is inherently stressful and is getting more so for U.S. troops, who are d... more The military profession is inherently stressful and is getting more so for U.S. troops, who are deploying more often and for longer periods of time on missions that are multifaceted, changeable, and ambiguous. Such stressful conditions can lead to a range of health problems and performance decrements even among leaders. But not everyone reacts in negative ways to environmental stress. Most people remain healthy and continue to perform well even in the face of high stress levels. While much attention in recent years has focused on identifying and treating stress-related breakdowns such as post-traumatic stress disorder, scant investment has gone toward the study of healthy, resilient response patterns in people. This paper focuses attention on mental hardiness, an important pathway to resilience. Research over the past 25 years has confirmed that psychological hardiness is a key stress-resilience factor. People who show high levels of psychological hardiness exhibit greater commitmen...
INTRODUCTION: A major problem facing military personnel and veterans is alcohol abuse, which can ... more INTRODUCTION: A major problem facing military personnel and veterans is alcohol abuse, which can devastate individual lives, and also drives up health care costs and degrades the readiness of military forces. Alcohol and substance abuse in turn contribute to a range of other negative outcomes including depression, family violence and suicide. Effective screening is essential for early identification of soldiers at high risk for stress-related alcohol problems, in order to target preventive assistance to those who need it most. Current screening tools used in the U.S. Department of Defense are not sufficiently sensitive, failing to identify many at-risk soldiers. These tools ask directly about recent drinking behavior, yielding multiple false-negatives because: (1) troops tend to minimize or deny drinking problems for fear of negative repercussions; (2) many young troops with a drinking problem fail to recognize it as such; and (3) access to alcohol is often highly restricted in thea...
INTRODUCTION: While studies have investigated the effects of combat stress on service members, fe... more INTRODUCTION: While studies have investigated the effects of combat stress on service members, few have examined the after-effect of the severe injury on surviving service members and their families (Cozza et al, 2010; Mysliwiec, 2013). The present research examines the potential effects of resilience hardiness and family support on emotional well-being, sleep symptoms, and PTSD symptoms of severely wounded military personnel and their spouses. METHODS: Study participants were recruited from a military medical center where service members were being treated for severe injuries. Participants were service members and their spouses (N=48) that completed questionnaires including outcomes measuring emotional well-being (WLWBI), sleep quality (PSQI-A) and PTSD (PCL) in relationship to psychological hardiness (DSR) and family support (WLWBI). ANOVAs were used to examine the effects of family support and hardiness on emotional well-being, sleep problems and PTSD symptoms (dichotomized at th...
This is a book by and about military research psychologists—behavioral scientists who apply the p... more This is a book by and about military research psychologists—behavioral scientists who apply the principles and methods of psychology toward the goal of understanding and improving human health and performance in our defense forces. This group of specialists, along with their counterparts in the Army’s sister Services and the many civilian research psychologists throughout the Department of Defense (DOD), forms a critical and essential core asset for our current and future national security. Since World War II, we have relied increasingly on research psychologists within DOD to design better and more efficient selection and classification tools and strategies, more effective training programs for military personnel, and improved leader development programs. In addition, these specialists have applied rigorous research methods to understanding the limits and capacities of human mental and physical performance in a range of demanding operational environments. Their work has provided mu...
This paper reports on data from a survey of international military mental health professionals. I... more This paper reports on data from a survey of international military mental health professionals. In a series of open-ended questions, respondents were asked to describe their country in terms of the field of military psychology, the role of mental health professionals on deployment, the degree to which the field of mental health is accepted in the military, and their contact with their international counterparts. The survey was mailed to 44 different countries from July 1995 through July 1996. The data are based on 30 individual responses from 23 different countries. Cultural differences included the role of psychologists in the military and on deployment, the degree of professional isolation, and specific services provided by psychologists. Cultural similarities included the ambivalent response to the mental health field by military leaders, the use of psychology as a prevention tool, and the degree of interest in international contact and exchange. The discussion focuses on three o...
This study examined the relationship between sexual harassment and depression as a function of th... more This study examined the relationship between sexual harassment and depression as a function of the actions that women took in response to the harassment. Active duty military women, DoD- employed civilian women, and military and civilian spouses (N=767) responded to a survey on quality of life and work issues distributed to personnel throughout the US Army-Europe (USAREUR). Overall, women who reported that they had experienced sexual harassment since their arrival to USAREUR showed significantly higher levels of depression than women who reported that they had not experienced harassment. However, this was true only -for women who minimized the significance of the incident, attempted to keep the harassment to themselves, believed that their complaint would be ignored, or reported the harassment but were unaware of the outcome. These findings are discussed in terms of how women's perceptions of the organizational climate and grievance process may influence the actions they take in...
Army Casualty Assistance work has no directly comparable civilian occupation. However, like civil... more Army Casualty Assistance work has no directly comparable civilian occupation. However, like civilian human service occupation, soldiers working in the casualty area are susceptible to job stressor that can lead to low morale, stress, burnout and psychiatric illness. In order to ascertain sources of job related stress and coping mechanisms, this report describes the role of one type of Army casualty worker, the 'Notification NCO.' In addition to comparing different types of casualty workers with the Notification NCO, this study utilizes multiple research methods including participant observation, interview surveys, oral histories and instrument measures over a one year period. The salient job stressors uncovered are exposure to death through telephonic contact with bereaved family members and learning the details surrounding an individual soldier's injury or death. Job stressors are moderated by informal hiring practices, effective on-the-job training, commitment to the m...
Since the Persian Gulf War in 1991, the U.S. Army has devoted increased attention to field studie... more Since the Persian Gulf War in 1991, the U.S. Army has devoted increased attention to field studies aimed at identifying and understanding the critical "human dimensions" issues that can affect soldier health and well-being, morale, cohesion and performance. Army social psychologists have conducted human dimensions studies in several recent military operations in such places as Croatia, Somalia and Kuwait. This paper draws on these experiences to summarize the important methodological and practical considerations in doing such work. Future military human dimensions field research should benefit from this treatment of key issues in the design and execution of such studies.
This codebook contains data from a survey of international military psychologists (or other menta... more This codebook contains data from a survey of international military psychologists (or other mental health professionals) conducted by the US Army Medical Research Unit-Europe. The survey, using both open-ended questions and checklists, covered topics such as the role of psychologists in the military, the role of psychologists on deployments, an overview of military psychology research related to peacekeeping, lessons learned from deployment, the role of debriefing in the military, and suggestions for future international cooperation. The survey was mailed to social scientists and mental health professionals in 44 different countries from July 1995 through July 1996. Survey respondents were identified through conference and association mailing lists as well as from informal networking. The data are based on 30 individual responses from 23 countries, or a 52% return rate. Similarities identified across national lines include the ambivalent perception of psychology by military leaders,...
U.S. military forces are increasingly involved in a variety of multinational peacekeeping and hum... more U.S. military forces are increasingly involved in a variety of multinational peacekeeping and humanitarian assistance missions. How well combat-trained units and soldiers adapt to these new roles will determine U.S. success in such operations, as well as the future health and readiness of the force. In preparing soldiers for such missions, it is critical that leaders and health care providers have a clear understanding of the nature of the stressors they are likely to encounter. This report summarizes findings from a longitudinal, descriptive case study of a U.S. Army medical unit performing a peacekeeping mission in the former Yugoslavia. The goal of the investigation was to identify key sources of stress and to delineate the effect of these stressors on the health, morale, and mental readiness of soldiers. Findings suggest a range of psychological stressors that varies somewhat across operational phases of a peacekeeping mission. Furthermore, the degree of stress experienced in va...
This paper reports on data from a survey of international military mental health professionals. I... more This paper reports on data from a survey of international military mental health professionals. In a series of open-ended questions, respondents were asked to describe their country in terms of the field of military psychology, the role of mental health professionals on deployment, the degree to which the field of mental health is accepted in the military, and their contact with their international counterparts. The survey was mailed to 44 different countries from July 1995 through July 1996. The data are based on 30 individual responses from 23 different countries. Cultural differences included the role of psychologists in the military and on deployment, the degree of professional isolation, and specific services provided by psychologists. Cultural similarities included the ambivalent response to the mental health field by military leaders, the use of psychology as a prevention tool, and the degree of interest in international contact and exchange. The discussion focuses on three o...
Military personnel are seeing a sudden increase in peacekeeping and humanitarian relief missions.... more Military personnel are seeing a sudden increase in peacekeeping and humanitarian relief missions. These missions have the potential for producing psychological ambiguities surrounding the relevance of the mission to the individual's identity as a soldier, the guidelines for how to behave during the mission, and the degree of control individuals feel they have over their job on the mission. In the present research we examined the beliefs of US Army Europe (USAREUR) soldiers (N=1420) about the Bosnia peace-enforcement mission prior to their deployment. Questions assessing beliefs included how much control soldiers thought they would have on their job, how well-trained they were for their job, how comfortable they felt in the role of peacekeeper, and the importance of peacekeeping operations. We assessed the impact of these beliefs on soldiers' feelings of responsibility, morale, depression, and excitement and worry about the deployment. The results from the soldiers participat...
A team of two military psychologists (the authors) traveled to Albania to provide training to Alb... more A team of two military psychologists (the authors) traveled to Albania to provide training to Albanian military sociologists in psychological issues associated with peacekeeping deployment in connection with the North Atlantic Treaty Organization's Partnership for Peace program. The training, based on research conducted by the authors, emphasize the typical problems faced by peacekeepers. The information presented was adjusted to better meet the particular needs of the Albanians. Topics of primary interest to the Albanians are discussed with an emphasis on the Albanian cultural context. General lessons for future Partnership for Peace training are also presented.
The military profession is inherently stressful and is getting more so for U.S. troops, who are d... more The military profession is inherently stressful and is getting more so for U.S. troops, who are deploying more often and for longer periods of time on missions that are multifaceted, changeable, and ambiguous. Such stressful conditions can lead to a range of health problems and performance decrements even among leaders. But not everyone reacts in negative ways to environmental stress. Most people remain healthy and continue to perform well even in the face of high stress levels. While much attention in recent years has focused on identifying and treating stress-related breakdowns such as post-traumatic stress disorder, scant investment has gone toward the study of healthy, resilient response patterns in people. This paper focuses attention on mental hardiness, an important pathway to resilience. Research over the past 25 years has confirmed that psychological hardiness is a key stress-resilience factor. People who show high levels of psychological hardiness exhibit greater commitmen...
INTRODUCTION: A major problem facing military personnel and veterans is alcohol abuse, which can ... more INTRODUCTION: A major problem facing military personnel and veterans is alcohol abuse, which can devastate individual lives, and also drives up health care costs and degrades the readiness of military forces. Alcohol and substance abuse in turn contribute to a range of other negative outcomes including depression, family violence and suicide. Effective screening is essential for early identification of soldiers at high risk for stress-related alcohol problems, in order to target preventive assistance to those who need it most. Current screening tools used in the U.S. Department of Defense are not sufficiently sensitive, failing to identify many at-risk soldiers. These tools ask directly about recent drinking behavior, yielding multiple false-negatives because: (1) troops tend to minimize or deny drinking problems for fear of negative repercussions; (2) many young troops with a drinking problem fail to recognize it as such; and (3) access to alcohol is often highly restricted in thea...
INTRODUCTION: While studies have investigated the effects of combat stress on service members, fe... more INTRODUCTION: While studies have investigated the effects of combat stress on service members, few have examined the after-effect of the severe injury on surviving service members and their families (Cozza et al, 2010; Mysliwiec, 2013). The present research examines the potential effects of resilience hardiness and family support on emotional well-being, sleep symptoms, and PTSD symptoms of severely wounded military personnel and their spouses. METHODS: Study participants were recruited from a military medical center where service members were being treated for severe injuries. Participants were service members and their spouses (N=48) that completed questionnaires including outcomes measuring emotional well-being (WLWBI), sleep quality (PSQI-A) and PTSD (PCL) in relationship to psychological hardiness (DSR) and family support (WLWBI). ANOVAs were used to examine the effects of family support and hardiness on emotional well-being, sleep problems and PTSD symptoms (dichotomized at th...
This is a book by and about military research psychologists—behavioral scientists who apply the p... more This is a book by and about military research psychologists—behavioral scientists who apply the principles and methods of psychology toward the goal of understanding and improving human health and performance in our defense forces. This group of specialists, along with their counterparts in the Army’s sister Services and the many civilian research psychologists throughout the Department of Defense (DOD), forms a critical and essential core asset for our current and future national security. Since World War II, we have relied increasingly on research psychologists within DOD to design better and more efficient selection and classification tools and strategies, more effective training programs for military personnel, and improved leader development programs. In addition, these specialists have applied rigorous research methods to understanding the limits and capacities of human mental and physical performance in a range of demanding operational environments. Their work has provided mu...
This paper reports on data from a survey of international military mental health professionals. I... more This paper reports on data from a survey of international military mental health professionals. In a series of open-ended questions, respondents were asked to describe their country in terms of the field of military psychology, the role of mental health professionals on deployment, the degree to which the field of mental health is accepted in the military, and their contact with their international counterparts. The survey was mailed to 44 different countries from July 1995 through July 1996. The data are based on 30 individual responses from 23 different countries. Cultural differences included the role of psychologists in the military and on deployment, the degree of professional isolation, and specific services provided by psychologists. Cultural similarities included the ambivalent response to the mental health field by military leaders, the use of psychology as a prevention tool, and the degree of interest in international contact and exchange. The discussion focuses on three o...
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