Resilient Warrior: A Stress Management Group to Improve Psychological Health in Service Members

Abstract

Background:Many veterans deployed after 9/11/2001 are impacted by subthreshold levels of posttraumatic stress, anxiety, or other psychological health problems that may interfere with successful reintegration. Conventional treatments, including medication and trauma-focused individual psychotherapies, may not be optimally adapted, accepted, or effective to treat these subsyndromal symptoms.Methods:We developed “Resilient Warrior,” a 4-session, group-based, mind-body stress-management and resilience program targeted to build skills and assessed whether its format was accessible and acceptable, and potentially efficacious, to support resilience among service members.Results:From April 2014 to October 2014, 15 participants (53.3% women; mean age=36.6 y; SD=6.2) were surveyed for program acceptability and feasibility and completed self-reported psychological health outcomes before and after program participation. The majority (71.4%) of participants reported that the program included the right number of sessions, and all of them reported that it was helpful and relevant and that they would recommend it to others. While changes in self-reported resilience were only marginal, participation was associated with improvements in depressive symptoms, perceived stress, anxiety, and general sense of self efficacy.Conclusion:These pilot data provide preliminary support that “Resilient Warrior,” a group-based, stress reduction and resilience program, may improve psychological health in service members even when delivered in community settings. Randomized controlled trials with longer follow-up periods are needed to establish efficacy and effectiveness for this program.

Is prevention better than cure? A systematic review of the effectiveness of well-being interventions for military personnel adjusting to civilian life

“…Studies recruited soldiers recently returning from deployment [ 35 , 36 ], veterans of Iraq or Afghanistan [ 37 – 42 ], Reservists [ 43 , 44 , 45 ] and a combination of veterans and currently serving soldiers [ 39 , 46 ]. The majority of participants were male, with a mean age of between 18 and 37 years [ 35 – 38 , 40 , 42 – 45 ]. Two studies recruited a cohort whose mean age was between 42 and 45 years [ 41 , 46 ].…”

“…In order to assess the effectiveness of interventions both individual and relationship level outcomes were reported. Studies examined the effectiveness of facilitated group interventions [ 38 , 41 , 43 , 45 ], self-directed interventions using multi-media and online formats [ 39 , 40 , 44 ], and one study evaluated an intervention administered one-to-one by a clinician [ 37 ]. The characteristics of studies are shown in Table 2 .…”

“…Finally Sylvia et al [ 38 ] conducted a pilot feasibility study of a stress reduction and resilience training program with participants recruited through adverts and social media. Although a measure of resilience did not indicate significant change after the intervention, measures of depression and perceived stress demonstrated significant improvements.…”

The Role of Mindfulness in Reducing the Adverse Effects of Childhood Stress and Trauma

“…A short 4-session intervention incorporating mindfulness in the mind-body approach, modestly increased resilience and also decreased depressive and anxiety symptoms and perceived stress in veterans though only assessed post-intervention [61]. These effects translate to improvements in quality of life [62] with a reduction in somatic symptoms including dizziness, fatigue and tension in addition to depressive symptoms as shown in veterans with PTSD [63].…”

Humanitarian space and well-being: effectiveness of training on a psychosocial intervention for host community-refugee interaction

“…The SMART- 3RP (Relaxation Response and Resilience Programme) teaches self-care strategies to protect against the negative effects of stress and improve coping skills (Park et al 2013). This programme has been used with various populations, including members of the US armed services, older adults, and adults with chronic physical illness, to help manage symptoms of depression, anxiety and PTSD (Sylvia et al 2015; Scult et al 2015; Vranceanu et al 2014). The programme also had positive effects with professionals working in stressful medical professions, including palliative care clinicians and interpreters in cancer care (Mehta et al 2016; Park et al 2016).…”