https://aub.ie/MilitaryREACH-Hoopsick2020

Hoopsick, R. A., Homish, D. L., Collins, R. L., Nochajski, T. H., Read, J. P., Bartone, P. T., & Homish, G. G. (2021). Resilience to mental health problems and the role of deployment status among U.S. Army Reserve and National Guard soldiers. Social Psychiatry and Psychiatric Epidemiology, 56, 1299-1310. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00127-020-01899-5

Programs exist to bolster the individual and relational well-being of previously deployed (i.e., had been deployed at least once) Service members and Veterans. However, emerging evidence indicates that never-deployed Service members are at similar risk for emotional and mental health challenges. The current study investigated links between protective factors (i.e., unit support, marital satisfaction, and psychological hardiness) and emotional and mental health symptoms (i.e., anger, anxiety, depression, and posttraumatic stress) for 360 Army Reserve and National Guard Service members (n = 135 never-deployed). Additionally, differences in these associations depending on deployment history (i.e., previously deployed or never-deployed) were examined. Psychological hardiness (i.e., perceiving challenges as manageable opportunities for growth) was more strongly associated with lower mental health symptoms for never-deployed Service members than previously deployed Service members.

https://doi.org/10.1007/s00127-020-01899-5

Deployment
Mental health

Army

Guard/Reserve member

Adulthood (18 yrs & older)
Young adulthood (18 - 29 yrs)
Thirties (30 - 39 yrs)
Middle age (40 - 64 yrs)

Cross-Sectional Study
Quantitative Study
Secondary Analysis

Hoopsick, Rachel A., Homish, D. Lynn, Collins, R. Lorraine, Nochajski, Thomas H., Read, Jennifer P., Bartone, Paul T., Homish, Gregory G.

Purpose Research suggests that interpersonal and intrapersonal resiliency factors protect against poor post-deployment mental health outcomes among Reserve/Guard soldiers who have been deployed. There is increasing awareness that never-deployed soldiers are also at risk. The purpose of this study was to examine the relationships between resiliency factors and a range of mental health outcomes among a sample of United States Army Reserve and National Guard (USAR/NG) soldiers who have and have not experienced deployment. Methods A subset of data was drawn from Operation: SAFETY (N = 360), an ongoing study examining the health and well-being of USAR/NG soldiers. We used a multivariate path analysis approach to examine the simultaneous effects of unit support, marital satisfaction, and psychological hardiness on the following mental health outcomes, concurrently: anger, anxiety, depression, and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptomatology. We also examined interaction effects between resiliency factors and deployment status on mental health outcomes. Results Greater unit support (ps < 0.01), marital satisfaction (ps < 0.001), and psychological hardiness (ps < 0.001) were associated with less anger, anxiety, depression, and PTSD symptomatology. Psychological hardiness had significant interactions with deployment status on anxiety, depression, and PTSD, such that the protective effects of psychological hardiness were even stronger among never-deployed soldiers than previously deployed solders. Conclusion Resiliency factors can be targeted for intervention to prevent poor mental health outcomes among USAR/NG soldiers, regardless of deployment status. Further, psychological hardiness may be an even more important protective factor among soldiers who have never been deployed.

Springer

Article
REACH Publication

Department of Family Medicine, Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, University at Buffalo, The State University of New York, RAH
Department of Community Health and Health Behavior, School of Public Health and Health Professions, University at Buffalo, The State University of New York, DLH
Department of Community Health and Health Behavior, School of Public Health and Health Professions, University at Buffalo, The State University of New York, RLC
School of Social Work, University at Buffalo, The State University of New York, THN
Department of Psychology, College of Arts and Sciences, University at Buffalo, The State University of New York, JPR
Center for Technology and National Security Policy, Institute for National Strategic Studies, National Defense University, PTB
Department of Community Health and Health Behavior, School of Public Health and Health Professions, University at Buffalo, The State University of New York, GGH