Socio-cultural dynamics in gender and military contexts: Seeking and understanding change

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Karen D. Davis
Keyword(s):  
Sexual Assault ◽  
Sexual Misconduct ◽  
Armed Forces ◽  
Past Experience ◽  
Cultural Dynamics ◽  
Gender Integration ◽  
Fully Integrated ◽  
Canadian Armed Forces ◽  
Canadian Military ◽  
The Way

LAY SUMMARY Today, changing the culture of the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) is a high priority, so that all members feel respected and included and do not experience discrimination, harassment, or any form of sexual misconduct. This article looks back at the CAF experience with gender integration to see what it shows about what should be done today. Over 20 years ago, many believed the job was done, that the CAF had fully integrated women and welcomed all members, regardless of who they were. Women have served in the Canadian military for several decades; they make important contributions, and there are no formal limitations on how they contribute and what they can achieve. Although policies and practices have changed, too often, some women and men continue to experience discrimination, harassment, and sexual assault. Based on past experience, this article suggests that thinking about different ways of understanding culture in the CAF is important in paving the way for a more inclusive experience for all members.

Top resources and tools for physician management of chronic pain in the Canadian Armed Forces

2021 ◽  
pp. e20210039
Author(s):  
Paul Dhillon ◽  
Nickie Mathew ◽  
Richard Lee ◽  
Eric Juneau ◽  
Robert Dale ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Chronic Pain ◽  
Armed Forces ◽  
Continuous Medical Education ◽  
Prescription Practices ◽  
The Past ◽  
Canadian Armed Forces ◽  
Busy Clinician ◽  
Primary Care Clinicians ◽  
Canadian Military ◽  
New Evidence

LAY SUMMARY Diagnosis and management of chronic pain in Canada by primary care clinicians is a challenging and changing field with new approaches, evidence, and tools emerging in the past few years. For a busy clinician, it is vital to integrate and become aware of new tools that can improve the care delivered to patients. This article summarizes new evidence-based tools, key guidelines and research, algorithms, and simplified prescription practices, in addition to continuous medical education resources that will allow busy clinicians to rapidly be brought up to speed on the latest in chronic pain management in the Canadian military context.

Working together to address sexual misconduct in the Canadian Armed Forces

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andrea Brown ◽  
Heather Millman ◽  
Bethany Easterbrook ◽  
Alexandra Heber ◽  
Rosemary Park ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Gender Discrimination ◽  
Health And Safety ◽  
Sexual Misconduct ◽  
Armed Forces ◽  
Canadian Armed Forces ◽  
Military Members ◽  
Physical Health Problems ◽  
Working Together ◽  
And Gender ◽  
The Military

LAY SUMMARY In 2015, the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) implemented Operation HONOUR to eliminate sexual misconduct (SM) in the military. Sexual assault, inappropriate sexual behaviours, sexual harassment, and gender discrimination are all types of SM. Experiencing SM can result in depression, substance abuse, physical health problems, and even posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Despite Operation HONOUR, SM still happens in the CAF. At this time, many groups are working together to address SM and to support those who have experienced SM. Canadian-based researchers, policymakers, military members, Veterans, and clinicians are collaborating to identify new approaches to training, culture change, research, and treatment relating to SM in the CAF. The end goal of working together is to minimize SM in the CAF and ensure the health and safety of all CAF members and Veterans.

A gender-based analysis of recruitment and retention in the Canadian Army Reserve

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stéfanie von Hlatky ◽  
Bibi Imre-Millei
Keyword(s):  
Community Outreach ◽  
Sexual Misconduct ◽  
Armed Forces ◽  
Army Reserve ◽  
Recruitment And Retention ◽  
Canadian Army ◽  
Canadian Armed Forces ◽  
Gender Based ◽  
The Military ◽  
Training Opportunities

LAY SUMMARY In this qualitative study, 29 members of the Canadian Army Reserve were interviewed to investigate Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) recruitment and retention strategies. Studying member attitudes and participation in recruitment and retention led to original insights about the importance of community outreach, peer recruiting, and commitment on behalf of leadership when it comes to fostering a recruitment-focused culture. Participants pointed to camaraderie and the quality of training opportunities as significant considerations to improve retention, providing further validation to existing research on retention in reserve units. Using a gender-based lens, reservists were asked about the culture of the CAF, sexual misconduct, and other issues facing under-represented groups. Participants felt the military was doing well meeting recruiting targets and that representation and mentorship were important tools to encourage women and members of under-represented groups to join. The answers regarding sexual misconduct were extremely consistent: most were surprised when hearing Reserve Force statistics on sexual misconduct, and many displayed low awareness of how to report incidents. Nevertheless, participants thought their units were better than others when it came to equity, diversity, inclusion, and preventing sexual violence, signaling these topics could be further examined in the reserves.

scholarly journals The application of a new policy on recreational cannabis use in the Canadian military population

2020 ◽  
Vol 30 (Supplement_5) ◽  
Author(s):  
M Therrien ◽  
H McCuaig Edge
Keyword(s):  
Health And Safety ◽  
Armed Forces ◽  
Cannabis Use ◽  
Basic Training ◽  
Military Population ◽  
Potential Health ◽  
Preliminary Results ◽  
Canadian Armed Forces ◽  
Health And Safety Implications ◽  
Canadian Military

Abstract In October 2018, the Canadian federal government passed the Cannabis Act, making Canada the first G7 nation to legalize the possession and consumption of recreational cannabis nationwide. Given the potential health and safety implications, this makes it a pivotal time for both policy makers and researchers to understand the effects of cannabis use and the implications in the workplace. In response to legalization, the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) was one of the first major organizations to create a policy specifically targeting cannabis use for its military personnel, with directives outlining expectations for standards of conduct, and general and specific prohibitions relating to the possession and consumption of cannabis products. An important part of understanding the potential impact of cannabis use in the Canadian military and the suitability of the current policy is to first determine the proportion of CAF members that have consumed cannabis since its legalization. The first available data on this comes from the Recruit Health Questionnaire, a health and lifestyle survey completed by military recruits early in their basic training. 1,219 recruits completed the survey between October 2019 (exactly one year post-legalization) and February 2020 (88% response rate). Preliminary results suggest that one-third (34%) of recruits reported having consumed cannabis during the 12 months prior to starting basic training, and since the Cannabis Act came into effect. The vast majority (95%) of this group reported having consumed cannabis on more than one occasion. Given these large proportions, it is imperative that we continue to study the medical, behavioural, and cognitive effects of cannabis to understand if the current guidelines set out in the CAF policy on recreational cannabis use are adequate. Constant monitoring and, as necessary, updates to the policy, are essential to continue ensuring the safety of CAF members and the public, and an operationally ready force. Key messages Preliminary results suggest that one-third of Canadian Armed Forces recruits have consumed cannabis since its legalization, with 95% of this group having consumed it on more than one occasion. Given the potential health and safety implications, the Canadian Armed Forces policy on cannabis consumption must be constantly monitored and updated to ensure a safe and operationally ready force.

Affronting Stardom/Confronting Sexual Violence

2019 ◽  
Vol 34 (2) ◽  
pp. 209-219
Author(s):  
Lynne Joyrich
Keyword(s):  
Sexual Assault ◽  
Sexual Violence ◽  
Public Discourse ◽  
Sexual Misconduct ◽  
Public And Private ◽  
The Troubles ◽  
The Way

Recently, there has been an explosion of charges of sexual violence and assault within the worlds of media, journalism, and entertainment, with female stars leading the way in making these charges of sexual misconduct public. Indeed, stars—located at precisely the boundaries of “public” and “private,” working at the intersection of libidinal and financial economies, marked as both “individuals” and “representatives,” figured as both “bodies” and “voices”—provide a powerful locus for both the explosion and exposure of sexual violence, which operates through and across those same categories (as, for example, definitions of sexual violence depend upon particular understandings of the connections or disconnections between bodily events and consciousness of consent or its refusal, between the “outside and the “inside,” between action and affirmation). Given confusions and conflations of these categories, sexual assault and harassment in entertainment industries have paradoxically been both presumed and disavowed, routinized and rejected, made invisible and spectacularized in ways that help to reveal the troubling dynamics of sexual violence and the “troubles” of stardom itself. This piece explores those dynamics, considering how public discourse around these scandals may help us interrogate the problems of both celebrity and sexual violence.

The Impact of Deployment on Children From Canadian Military Families

2016 ◽  
Vol 43 (4) ◽  
pp. 654-673 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alla Skomorovsky ◽  
Amanda Bullock
Keyword(s):  
Military Families ◽  
Armed Forces ◽  
Well Being ◽  
School Age Children ◽  
Canadian Armed Forces ◽  
Social Support Seeking ◽  
Parental Deployment ◽  
Resilience Factors ◽  
Canadian Military ◽  
The Impact

Children in military families experience various stressors associated with the demands of military life, such as parental absences due to deployments. However, there is a limited understanding of children’s well-being to parental deployment from Canadian military families. This study was conducted to examine the impact of deployment on the well-being of school age children from Canadian Armed Forces families and to consider the resilience factors in their well-being. Focus groups with children ( N = 85) showed that deployment negatively impacted children’s well-being, routines, and family dynamics. Active distraction and social support seeking served as the most effective protective factors against deployment stress. Recommendations for mitigating the impact of deployment are offered.

scholarly journals Missing the Point: A Critical Reflection on Operation HONOUR and Reactions to Military Sexual Misconduct by Veterans of the Canadian Armed Forces

2021 ◽  
Vol 41 (2) ◽  
pp. 72-87
Author(s):  
Walter Callaghan
Keyword(s):  
Culture Change ◽  
Sexual Misconduct ◽  
Armed Forces ◽  
Military Culture ◽  
Canadian Armed Forces ◽  
Key Points ◽  
Willful Blindness ◽  
Sexist Beliefs ◽  
The Military

While there has undoubtedly been progress made in regards to the inclusion of women and LGBTQ+ individuals as full members of the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF), it is questionable as to whether the organizational culture has shifted since these efforts were initiated almost thirty years ago. This article argues that resistance to culture change is based in sexist beliefs and attitudes, which are most noticeable in discussions related to Operation HONOUR, the CAF initiative meant to purposefully change military culture in an effort to eliminate sexual misconduct. The article critically reflects on how the CAF has presented results from surveys aimed at examining the beliefs and perceptions of current serving members in regards to sexual misconduct in the military. It argues that the CAF is missing key points of analysis, particularly in failing to identify and analyse the beliefs, attitudes, and behaviours that make up a problematic and misogynistic military culture. To address this, the article presents a taxonomy of sexism to help understand the attitudes of soldiers and veterans. Based on this taxonomy and informed by long-term and ongoing ethnographic research, the article then outlines a spectrum of behavioural archetypes, namely: (1) allyship to victims, (2) willful blindness to the prevalence of and harms caused by military sexual misconduct, and (3) a negative and misogynistic response tied to what has been termed as toxic masculinity. Understanding these behaviours and their embeddedness in veterans’ self-perceptions and the military’s culture is key to achieving CAF culture change in the context of systemic sexual misconduct.

scholarly journals Association Between Musculoskeletal Injuries and the Canadian Armed Forces Physical Employment Standard Proxy in Canadian Military Recruits

2020 ◽  
Vol 185 (7-8) ◽  
pp. e1140-e1146
Author(s):  
Etienne Chassé ◽  
Marie-Andrée Laroche ◽  
Carole-Anne Dufour ◽  
Renaud Guimond ◽  
François Lalonde
Keyword(s):  
Waist Circumference ◽  
Armed Forces ◽  
Rehabilitation Program ◽  
Musculoskeletal Injuries ◽  
Peak Oxygen Consumption ◽  
Stepwise Logistic Regression ◽  
Military Recruit ◽  
Canadian Armed Forces ◽  
Military Recruits ◽  
Canadian Military

Abstract Introduction Musculoskeletal injuries (MSKIs) and recruitment are major challenges faced by modern military forces. The Canadian Armed Forces uses a physical employment standard (PES) proxy to determine occupational fitness and job suitability. It is unknown whether the performance on the PES proxy can be also used as predictor of MSKIs. The purpose of this study was to investigate for relationships between age, sex, body composition, aerobic fitness, performance on the Canadian Armed Forces PES proxy (FORCE evaluation), and risk of sustaining a MSKI requiring intervention in the Training Rehabilitation Program (MSKI-TRP1) during Canadian Basic Military Qualification. Materials and Methods This was a retrospective analysis of MSKIs in recruits introduced in the Training Rehabilitation Program (TRP1) in 2016 and 2017. A two-tailed t-test and a multivariate stepwise logistic regression were completed to investigate the interrelationships of sex, age, FORCE performance (20 m rushes, sandbag lift, intermittent loaded shuttles, sandbag drag) and health-related characteristics (waist circumference, predicted peak oxygen consumption [$\dot{V}$O2peak]), and odds for sustaining a MSKI-TRP. Results The MSKI-TRP1 intervention rate observed was 4.3%. Rehabilitation duration was an average (SD) of 87 (76) days; nearly 80% of MSKI-TRP were lower body injuries. MSKI-TRP recruits were older, had a lower score on FORCE, and had a larger mean waist circumference and lower $\dot{V}$O2peak than non-TRP1 recruits (all P < 0.01). Recruits with performance lower than 1 SD below mean on the 20 m rushes, intermittent loaded shuttle, or sandbag drag were 2.69 (1.89–3.83), 2.74 (1.91–3.95), and 2.26 (1.52–3.37) times more likely to sustain a MSKI-TRP1, respectively (all P < 0.01). Recruits with $\dot{V}$O2peak lower than 1 SD below mean were also 2.19 (1.30–3.70) times more likely to sustain a MSKI-TRP. Neither sex, age, nor waist circumference impacted the risk of MSKI-TRP1 when controlling for FORCE performance. Conclusions The Canadian Armed Forces PES proxy performance can be used to assess the odds of sustaining a MSKI-TRP1 in Canadian military recruit training.

‘Healthy Relationships’ campaign: Preventing and addressing family and gender-based violence

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Carley Robb-Jackson ◽  
Sandra Campbell
Keyword(s):  
Military Families ◽  
Armed Forces ◽  
The United States ◽  
Military Family ◽  
Gender Based Violence ◽  
Healthy Relationships ◽  
Canadian Armed Forces ◽  
Gender Based ◽  
And Gender ◽  
Canadian Military

LAY SUMMARY Canadian military families face distinct challenges due to the military lifestyle, primarily due to relocation, absences and deployments, and risk of injury and death. Tied to these challenges is the intimate partner relationship and the ability of the family unit to thrive. To support families, Military Family Services (MFS) undertook a collaborative process to create a modernized campaign focused on healthy relationships for Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) members, Veterans, and their families. The “Healthy Relationships” campaign is a unique social media campaign centred on positive behaviour change, inspiration, and sharing of real military families’ stories. The campaign sought to shift the narrative from previous anti-family-violence messaging to promoting positive, healthy, and equitable relationships. The campaign was successful in its rollout across bases and wings in Canada, Europe, and the United States.

Chronic pain: The Canadian Armed Forces Members and Veterans Mental Health Follow-up Survey

2021 ◽  
pp. e20210051
Author(s):  
Essence Perera ◽  
James M. Thompson ◽  
Gordon J.G. Asmundson ◽  
Renée El-Gabalawy ◽  
Tracie O. Afifi ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Chronic Pain ◽  
Armed Forces ◽  
Negative Effects ◽  
Military Population ◽  
Canadian Armed Forces ◽  
Gastrointestinal Conditions ◽  
Military Members ◽  
Irritable Bowel ◽  
Chronic Pain Conditions ◽  
Canadian Military

LAY SUMMARY Chronic pain is pain that has lasted three to six months or longer. Many people with back pain, migraines, arthritis, and gastrointestinal conditions such as irritable bowel syndrome have chronic pain. The experience of chronic pain may have various negative effects on individuals. Pain may prevent a person from doing everyday tasks such as household chores. Chronic pain is an understudied area of research among military members and Veterans. Thus, the authors explored chronic pain in the Canadian military population. This study looks at the differences in chronic pain conditions among serving personnel and Veterans. The results show that a majority of serving members and Veterans experience chronic pain conditions. Veterans also reported experiencing more chronic pain than serving members.

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