US Army Drill Sergeants: Stressors, Behavioral Health, and Mitigating Factors

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Toby D Elliman ◽  
Molly E Schwalb ◽  
Stephen Krauss ◽  
Peter Mikoski ◽  
Amy B Adler
Keyword(s):  
Behavioral Health ◽  
Functional Impairment ◽  
Alcohol Misuse ◽  
Walter Reed Army Institute ◽  
Risk And Resilience ◽  
Policy Changes ◽  
Us Army ◽  
Health Promoting ◽  
Resilience Factors

ABSTRACT Introduction The role of the drill sergeant is one of the most challenging within the US Army, involving unusually long hours and little time off, for a minimum of 2 years. The current study sought to examine the behavioral health of this population and identify risk factors that might be addressed by policy changes. Materials and Methods In total, 856 drill sergeants across all Army basic training sites completed surveys from September to November of 2018. Drill sergeants identified factors that had caused stress or worry during their assignment. Rates were measured for behavioral health outcomes including depression, insomnia, anxiety, burnout, functional impairment, alcohol misuse, aggression, and low morale. Potential risk and resilience factors included time as a drill sergeant, sleep, route of assignment, general leadership, health-promoting leadership, and drill sergeant camaraderie. The study was approved by the Walter Reed Army Institute of Research Institutional Review Board. Results The most commonly experienced stressors were finding time to exercise, lack of sleep, and long work hours. Percentages of drill sergeants meeting behavioral health screening criteria were 19% for depression, 27% for moderate-to-severe insomnia, 14% for generalized anxiety disorder, 48% for high burnout, 32% for functional impairment, 35% for moderate alcohol misuse, 32% for off-duty aggression, and 25% for low morale. Rates for most outcomes were associated with time spent as a drill sergeant, with behavioral health issues peaking during 13-18 months. Poorer outcomes were also associated with fewer hours of sleep and initial unhappiness regarding involuntary assignment to the role of drill sergeant, while better outcomes were associated with higher ratings of general leadership, health-promoting leadership, and drill sergeant camaraderie. Conclusions This study is the first to examine behavioral health and morale of drill sergeants and to identify risk and resilience factors. Suggestions for policy changes include increasing the number of drill sergeants to decrease workload and allow sufficient time for recovery and sleep.

scholarly journals Social Risk and Resilience Factors in Adolescent Chronic Pain: Examining the Role of Parents and Peers

2017 ◽  
Vol 43 (3) ◽  
pp. 303-313 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alexandra C Ross ◽  
Laura E Simons ◽  
Amanda B Feinstein ◽  
Isabel A Yoon ◽  
Rashmi P Bhandari
Keyword(s):  
Chronic Pain ◽  
Social Risk ◽  
Risk And Resilience ◽  
Resilience Factors ◽  
Role Of Parents

scholarly journals Risk and Resilience Factors Impacting Treatment Compliance and Functional Impairment among Adolescents Participating in an Outpatient Interdisciplinary Pediatric Chronic Pain Management Program

Children ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 7 (11) ◽  
pp. 247
Author(s):  
Richa Aggarwal Dutta ◽  
Katherine S. Salamon
Keyword(s):  
Chronic Pain ◽  
Pain Management ◽  
Functional Impairment ◽  
Treatment Compliance ◽  
Management Program ◽  
Risk And Resilience ◽  
Chronic Pain Management ◽  
Pain Management Program ◽  
Pediatric Chronic Pain ◽  
Resilience Factors

Recurrent pain is a common experience in childhood and adolescence and can result in significant disability in youth, including poor quality of life, school absences, and reduced social activities. Evidence has linked adolescent risk and resilience factors with treatment outcomes. However, less research has focused on examining risk and resilience factors that may influence or predict adolescents’ compliance to treatment within an interdisciplinary pediatric chronic pain management program. Participants included 64 adolescents (M = 15.00 ± 1.69 years); 85.9% female, 84.4% Caucasian who presented to an initial evaluation in an interdisciplinary pediatric pain management program with their caregiver. Youth completed a series of questionnaires at the initial evaluation targeting pain acceptance, self-efficacy, pain catastrophizing, parental responses, pain intensity, and functional disability. Treatment compliance was measured at 3 and 6 months post-intake. Findings indicated that higher levels of adolescent-reported self-efficacy predict decreased treatment session attendance, whereas lower levels of acceptance and parental encouragement/monitoring of symptoms predict increased treatment compliance overall. Several adolescent-reported risk factors were associated with increased functional impairment among this sample. Results highlight the unique importance of risk and resilience factors within the developmental context of adolescence, while also emphasizing the need for further investigation of other relevant influences towards treatment compliance and functional impairment.

Examining risk and resilience factors for depression: The role of self-criticism and self-compassion

2014 ◽  
Vol 29 (8) ◽  
pp. 1496-1504 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anna M. Ehret ◽  
Jutta Joormann ◽  
Matthias Berking
Keyword(s):  
Risk And Resilience ◽  
Self Compassion ◽  
Resilience Factors

scholarly journals Exploring the Role of Caffeine Use in Adult-ADHD Symptom Severity of US Army Soldiers

2020 ◽  
Vol 9 (11) ◽  
pp. 3788
Author(s):  
Giada Cipollone ◽  
Philip Gehrman ◽  
Corrado Manni ◽  
Alessandro Pallucchini ◽  
Angelo G. I. Maremmani ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Substance Use ◽  
Cognitive Performance ◽  
Adult Adhd ◽  
Psychiatric Comorbidity ◽  
Energy Drinks ◽  
Risk And Resilience ◽  
Adhd Symptoms ◽  
Chi Square ◽  
Us Army

There is a growing trend of using energy drinks and caffeinated beverages to improve cognitive performance that is widespread and well-studied among children and teenagers with Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder (ADHD), but little is known about adult ADHD (A-ADHD). As a consequence, the use of highly caffeinated drinks and their impact on ADHD symptoms are poorly understood. This is especially true in populations where A-ADHD and the use of these beverages are largely represented, such as in military samples. From the All Army Study (AAS) of the Army Study to Assess Risk and Resilience in Service members (STARRS) data, 1,239 A-ADHD soldiers and 17,674 peers without any psychiatric comorbidity were selected. The two groups were compared on: (1) the presence of substance use disorder (SUD) diagnosis both over their lifetime and in the previous 30 days; (2) patterns of alcohol and caffeine use using chi-square analyses. Lastly, the relationship between substance use and severity of A-ADHD symptoms was assessed using Pearson’s correlations. Soldiers with a diagnosis of A-ADHD had a higher prevalence of SUD diagnosis compared to their peers without psychiatric comorbidity. They also tended to use more alcohol, caffeine pills, energy drinks, and other caffeinated drinks. Alcohol use was positively correlated with A-ADHD symptoms; on the contrary, energy drinks, caffeine pills and other caffeinated drinks showed negative correlations with some aspects of A-ADHD symptomatology. The use of caffeinated compounds appears to be increased among military soldiers with ADHD, and they may help reducing A-ADHD symptoms and improve cognitive performance. These results suggest a possible role for caffeine as a potential pharmacological tool in the treatment of adult ADHD.

Psychological Resilience Provides No Independent Protection From Suicidal Risk

Crisis ◽  
2016 ◽  
Vol 37 (2) ◽  
pp. 130-139 ◽  
Author(s):  
Danica W. Y. Liu ◽  
A. Kate Fairweather-Schmidt ◽  
Richard Burns ◽  
Rachel M. Roberts ◽  
Kaarin J. Anstey
Keyword(s):  
Risk Factors ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Current Status ◽  
Psychological Resilience ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Life Project ◽  
Resilience Factors ◽  
First Time

Abstract. Background: Little is known about the role of resilience in the likelihood of suicidal ideation (SI) over time. Aims: We examined the association between resilience and SI in a young-adult cohort over 4 years. Our objectives were to determine whether resilience was associated with SI at follow-up or, conversely, whether SI was associated with lowered resilience at follow-up. Method: Participants were selected from the Personality and Total Health (PATH) Through Life Project from Canberra and Queanbeyan, Australia, aged 28–32 years at the first time point and 32–36 at the second. Multinomial, linear, and binary regression analyses explored the association between resilience and SI over two time points. Models were adjusted for suicidality risk factors. Results: While unadjusted analyses identified associations between resilience and SI, these effects were fully explained by the inclusion of other suicidality risk factors. Conclusion: Despite strong cross-sectional associations, resilience and SI appear to be unrelated in a longitudinal context, once risk/resilience factors are controlled for. As independent indicators of psychological well-being, suicidality and resilience are essential if current status is to be captured. However, the addition of other factors (e.g., support, mastery) makes this association tenuous. Consequently, resilience per se may not be protective of SI.

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