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Stress and Health : Journal of the... Dec 2014When military recruits cannot tolerate the stressful environment in the military, they typically become more impulsive. Impulsivity serves to avoid the stress, or, in...
When military recruits cannot tolerate the stressful environment in the military, they typically become more impulsive. Impulsivity serves to avoid the stress, or, in other words, to release the pressure and cope. Becoming more impulsive, however, is related to damaging behaviours and unsuccessful coping. This research explored the relationship between worry and impulsivity in armed forces, and the possibility of mindfulness and self-compassion mediating this relationship. Participants (n = 166), who were in the second week of their basic military training, completed questionnaires in mindfulness, self-compassion, worry and impulsivity. Results indicated that worry related positively to impulsivity. Further, the negative relationship of worry with mindfulness and self-compassion mediated the relationship between worry and impulsivity. Findings support the notion that lacking mindfulness and self-compassion, in excessive worriers, may lead to impulsivity. This research concluded that mindfulness and self-compassion may assist military personnel who are exposed to highly stressful environments. Alternative explanations and future directions are discussed.
Topics: Adult; Anxiety; Empathy; Greece; Humans; Impulsive Behavior; Male; Military Personnel; Mindfulness; Self Concept; Surveys and Questionnaires
PubMed: 25476964
DOI: 10.1002/smi.2617 -
Scientific Reports Jan 2023While some theoretical perspectives imply that the context of a virtual training should be customized to match the intended context where those skills would ultimately...
While some theoretical perspectives imply that the context of a virtual training should be customized to match the intended context where those skills would ultimately be applied, others suggest this might not be necessary for learning. It is important to determine whether manipulating context matters for performance in training applications because customized virtual training systems made for specific use cases are more costly than generic "off-the-shelf" ones designed for a broader set of users. Accordingly, we report a study where military cadets use a virtual platform to practice their negotiation skills, and are randomly assigned to one of two virtual context conditions: military versus civilian. Out of 28 measures capturing performance in the negotiation, there was only one significant result: cadets in the civilian condition politely ask the agent to make an offer significantly more than those in the military condition. These results imply that-for this interpersonal skills application, and perhaps ones like it-virtual context may matter very little for performance during social skills training, and that commercial systems may yield real benefits to military scenarios with little-to-no modification.
Topics: Learning; Social Skills; User-Computer Interface; Military Personnel; Humans; Random Allocation
PubMed: 36596816
DOI: 10.1038/s41598-022-27154-2 -
Nursing Outlook 2019
Topics: Adult; Female; Health Policy; Humans; Male; Middle Aged; Military Personnel; Nursing Care; Practice Guidelines as Topic; Sex Offenses; Sexual Behavior; United States; Veterans
PubMed: 31279489
DOI: 10.1016/j.outlook.2019.06.002 -
Military Medicine Dec 2011In this randomized, controlled field study, we examined the effects of a brief psychological skills training (PST) intervention on stress responses during military... (Randomized Controlled Trial)
Randomized Controlled Trial
In this randomized, controlled field study, we examined the effects of a brief psychological skills training (PST) intervention on stress responses during military survival school. A second purpose was to build upon prior research in this unique environment by extending the follow-up window to 3 months. Baseline subjective distress (dissociative) symptoms were measured in 65 male military subjects, who were then randomized either to PST or a control group that received no training beyond the normal survival school curriculum. PST received training in arousal control, mental imagery, goal setting, and positive self-talk in two separate 40-minute sessions before stressful field exercises. Stress symptoms were then assessed during a mock-captivity phase of training, as well as 24 hours, 1 month, and 3 months after completion of training. Repeated-measures analyses of variance with follow-up paired t tests examined differences between groups and across time. Survival training precipitated remarkable increases in subjective distress, but few substantive group differences emerged. This study extends prior work quantifying the human stress response to intense military training.
Topics: Adult; Behavior Therapy; Combat Disorders; Follow-Up Studies; Humans; Inservice Training; Male; Military Personnel; Naval Medicine; United States
PubMed: 22338349
DOI: 10.7205/milmed-d-11-00149 -
Lancet (London, England) Sep 2011
Topics: Attitude; Behavior; Humans; Iraq War, 2003-2011; Military Personnel; Military Science; United States; Warfare
PubMed: 21890034
DOI: 10.1016/S0140-6736(11)61311-1 -
Journal of Homosexuality 1991The military attachés of 110 non-Communist embassies in Washington, DC, were surveyed from 1982-1984 regarding their countries' military policies about homosexuality....
The military attachés of 110 non-Communist embassies in Washington, DC, were surveyed from 1982-1984 regarding their countries' military policies about homosexuality. Of the 57 that responded, 37% reported policies excluding persons who engage in homosexual behavior from military service, 14% reported policies that accept homosexual and bisexual persons, and 49% reported having no policies about homosexual behavior. Cultural factors appear to be related to the military policies.
Topics: Culture; Government Agencies; Homosexuality; Humans; Military Personnel; Psychology, Military; United States
PubMed: 1757726
DOI: 10.1300/J082v21n04_06 -
Military Medicine May 2024Active duty military personnel and veterans have unique and complex health needs, with the high demands of military life often leading to chronic physical and mental...
INTRODUCTION
Active duty military personnel and veterans have unique and complex health needs, with the high demands of military life often leading to chronic physical and mental health conditions. Complementary and integrative medicine (CIM) could be a possible solution to this problem. Some military health systems have started integrating CIM into health care delivery. However, there has been no systematic evaluation of the prevalence and utilization of CIM in military and veteran populations globally.
MATERIALS AND METHODS
A Preferred Reporting Items For Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analysis Protocols protocol was used to systematically search for original research assessing the prevalence and utilization of CIM among active serving military or veterans. CINAHL, MEDLINE, Scopus, and AMED databases were searched up to February 3, 2023.
RESULTS
A total of 27 studies met the inclusion criteria and were included in this review. The overall quality of evidence was high with a low risk of bias. Utilization of CIM varied. The lowest utilization demonstrated that only 1.9% of services delivered by military health system were CIM. The majority of studies found utilization rates between 30% and 80%, with some studies reporting use as high as 90%. The most commonly used CIM therapies included chiropractic care, massage, mindfulness/meditation, and acupuncture. Utilization of CIM products was high and ranged from 32% to 87%. The most frequently used products were dietary supplements, particularly multivitamins and minerals and protein supplements/amino acids. The use of herbal products was high among veterans ranging from 10% to 79%.
CONCLUSIONS
The high demand for CIM by military personnel and veterans has important implications for policy, funding allocation, and integration of these services into clinical practice, particularly by countries not currently doing so. Further research is needed to assess the implementation of CIM into real-world settings to explore barriers and facilitators for their use in clinical practice and, by extension, their integration into the wider health care system.
Topics: Humans; Complementary Therapies; Integrative Medicine; Veterans; Military Personnel; Prevalence; Internationality
PubMed: 37847545
DOI: 10.1093/milmed/usad392 -
Canadian Journal of Psychiatry. Revue... Apr 2016
Topics: Canada; Health Services Accessibility; Humans; Mental Disorders; Mental Health; Mental Health Services; Military Medicine; Military Personnel; Surveys and Questionnaires
PubMed: 27270742
DOI: 10.1177/0706743715625424 -
The Journal of Interdisciplinary History 2011The increased lethality of nineteenth-century “arms of precision” caused military formations to disperse in combat, transforming the ordinary soldier from a near...
The increased lethality of nineteenth-century “arms of precision” caused military formations to disperse in combat, transforming the ordinary soldier from a near automaton, drilled to deliver random fire under close supervision, into a moral agent who exercised a degree of choice about where, when, and how to fire his weapon. The emerging autonomy of the soldier became a central theme in contemporary tactical debates, which struggled to reconcile the desire for discipline with the individual initiative necessary on the battlefield. This tactical conundrum offers revealing insights about human aggression and mass violence. Its dark legacy was the propagation of military values into civilian society, thus paving the way for the political soldiers of the twentieth century.
Topics: Aggression; Firearms; History, 19th Century; History, 20th Century; Military Medicine; Military Personnel; Morals; Violence; Warfare; Wounds and Injuries
PubMed: 21584989
DOI: 10.1162/jinh_a_00156 -
JAMA Feb 2019
Topics: Amnesia; Deception; History, 20th Century; Humans; Male; Military Personnel; Paris; United States
PubMed: 30806681
DOI: 10.1001/jama.2018.15220