To what extent is psychological resilience protective or ameliorative: Exploring the effects of deployment on the mental health of combat medics.

Abstract

Exposure to a major traumatic stressor increases the odds of negative mental health and maladaptive behavioral outcomes not only for victims but also for 1st responders and health care professionals who are exposed to the aftermath. This study investigates the extent to which psychological resilience acts as either a Protective (i.e., vaccine-like) or an Ameliorative (i.e., antibiotic-like) factor to reduce the deleterious mental health outcomes associated with exposure to a major stressor. To do so, this pilot study focused on the understudied population of military combat medics, who are exposed to both stressors associated with direct combat and with providing intense battlefield trauma care. Military combat medics who were identified as having deployed to Iraq or Afghanistan shortly after baseline measurements of posttraumatic stress disorder, depression, and aggressive behavioral tendencies and returned from deployment prior to the follow-up assessment (protective model) were compared to those who returned from deployment in Iraq or Afghanistan shortly before the baseline measurements and were not deployed again prior to the follow-up assessments (ameliorative model). Data were collected on combat experiences to equate the stressor for these 2 samples, and a propensity score matching technique was used to ensure that the 2 samples were similar. The findings provide support for both the protective and the ameliorative models of psychological resilience. Results are discussed in terms of the potential benefits of resilience in mental health programs.

Psychological resilience and stress coping methods in patients presenting with conversive symptoms and general medical symptoms

“…Furthermore, it has been shown a positive relationship exists between psychological resilience and mental health [29]. For example, in a study analyzing whether psychological resilience is a protective or curative factor in adverse mental states that result from experiencing major stress [30], it was shown that psychological resilience is both protective and curative. Moreover, the intermediary role of resilience in perceived stress, anxiety and depression was highlighted [3].…”

Putative risk and resiliency factors among Royal Canadian Mounted Police cadets

“…Fear of negative evaluation is dispositional apprehension experienced during evaluative situations ( Rodebaugh et al, 2004 ; Weeks et al, 2005 ; Russell et al, 2021 ). The Brief Fear of Negative Evaluation Scale–Straightforward items (BFNE-S; Rodebaugh et al, 2004 ; Weeks et al, 2005 ) is an 8-item self-report measure used to assess fears of negative evaluation with the straightforward items from the original Brief Fear of Negative Evaluation Scale ( Leary, 1983 ; Carleton et al, 2011 ).…”

“…Accordingly, resilience correlates negatively with mental health challenges ( Smith et al, 2008 ; Rodríguez-Rey et al, 2016 ; Sánchez et al, 2021 ). Among PSP, higher levels of self-reported resilience are associated with lower levels of symptoms related to PTSD and other mental health disorders (e.g., Smith et al, 2008 ; Lee et al, 2014 ; Kyriazos et al, 2018 ; Russell et al, 2021 ).…”

The stress bias in mental health reporting: Death anxiety biases mental health self-assessments amongst deployed soldiers.

“…Given that those anxieties are symptomatic of PTSD, GAD, or depression, the accompanied stress may lead to higher levels of self-reporting these symptoms (i.e., victim mode). On the other hand, psychological resilience research finds that exposure to stress can serve both ameliorative and protective functions (Peterson, Chen, & Karver, 2019; Russell, Russell, Chen, Cacioppo, & Cacioppo, 2019). Similarly, there is a growing body of evidence of posttraumatic growth whereby some individuals exposed to a trauma find a positive benefit from the experience; for instance, they develop a greater sense of personal strength or a renewed appreciation for life (Janoff-Bulman, 2014; Tedeschi, Shakespeare-Finch, Taku, & Calhoun, 2018).…”