The effect of military service and trauma exposure on resilience.

Abstract

Research suggests that military personnel are more resilient than civilians, but there are few studies on why this may be. Resilience may be a function of simply being a soldier (e.g., via selection or training) or may be a result of surviving traumatic experiences inherent in the job. However, there is little research into the degree to which military status and trauma exposure influence resilience. In this study, we address this by examining the effects of military service membership and trauma exposure on resilience in a sample of military personnel and civilian adults (N = 252). Results indicated that those who were either military members or endorsed trauma exposure were on average more resilient than those who did not. However, whereas trauma exposure increased the resilience of civilians, it contributed only minimally to military personnel's resilience. In effect, civilians exposed to trauma "caught up" to soldiers with respect to resilience. These findings are consistent with previous research suggesting that military personnel are on average more resilient than civilians, with the caveat that civilians who survive trauma have the potential to be just as a resilient.

Perceived stress and personal growth following the transition to military service: The role of sense of coherence and perceived social support

“…This transition can be a stressful and sometimes even traumatic experience (Ismaeel et al, 2018;Nakkas, et al, 2016;Sefidan et al, 2021). Aside from being exposed to combat trauma, military personnel are also subject to additional stresses as a result of their training and lifestyle in the military (Sanborn et al, 2022). Stress can be caused by the new social environment, adjustment to strict regiments, strenuous training, and rapid changes in roles (Yan et al, 2008).…”

Sustainable Reservists’ Services: The Effect of Resilience on the Intention to Remain in the Active Military Reserve Using a Parallel Mediating Model

“…The studies related to soldier resilience can therefore be found. Additionally, it is clear that there is a need to better understand the relationships between different clusters of intrapersonal and interpersonal variables associated with psychological resilience and determine those that contribute most to the soldier's decision to stay and continue to serve in the army wherein the exposure to trauma and adversity is an inevitable part of military life [40].…”

Differences in resilience profiles between military veterans and the general population: An exploratory latent profile analysis using the HUNT‐4 survey

“…Surprisingly, there have been limited studies that have examined whether there are differences in resilience between military and civilian individuals. The few studies that have compared the two groups have found inconsistent results (e.g., support: Sanborn et al., 2021—US psychological operations Army brigade to community college students; no support: Sohail & Ahmad, 2021—convenient samples of military personnel and civilians in Pakistan). There are some compelling reasons why military personnel might be more resilient such as personnel selection, military culture, unit cohesion, sense of control and agency during high stress events, and access to resilience training in the military (Jex et al., 2013).…”