The Effects of Platoon Leader Mental Health and Resilience Training on Soldier Problematic Anger

Details

• Personal Author:
  Allen S ; Britt T ; Brockwood K ; Dimoff J ; Dretsch M ; Hammer L ; Lee J ; Mohr C
• Description:
  Introduction: The DoD has prioritized programs to optimize readiness by enhancing resilience of its service members. Problematic anger in the military is an issue that impacts psychological well-being and resilience. Leader support is a potential tactic for reducing anger and its effects. Currently military resilience training is focused on individual level resilience. A gap exists in such training and there is a need to train leaders to provide mental health and resilience support to their subordinates. The present study developed and tested a theory-based training aimed at platoon leaders that focused on how to engage in proactive and responsive mental health and resilience-supportive behaviors through guided discussion, scenarios, and computer-based training with embedded quizzes. Materials and methods: We conducted an Institutional Review Board-approved cluster randomized controlled trial to test the effects of a leadership training with Army platoon leaders (n = 99) and soldiers (n = 276) in 2 brigades at an active duty military installation in the USA. Training was conducted in person with a computer-based component. Soldiers completed online surveys 1 month prior and again 3 months after the leader training. Results: Post-training results demonstrated significant leader learning effects (Cohen's d = 1.56) and leader positive reactions to the training information, with leaders reporting the information as useful and relevant to their work. Service members in the treatment group reported significantly lower levels of anger at time 2 (b = -0.18, SE = 0.06, P = .002, deltaR2 = 0.01; d = 0.27) compared to the control group. We also found an indirect effect of the intervention on increased life satisfaction at time 2 via decreased anger (b = 0.035, SE = 0.023, 95% CI = [0.004-0.24]). Conclusions: This study provides an initial evaluation of training for platoon leaders that educates them on proactive and responsive behavioral strategies to support the mental health and resilience of their service members via decreased problematic anger and increased well-being. Further adaptations and evaluations should be conducted with other military branches and civilian occupations, as the benefits of the relatively brief and noninvasive training could be widespread. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Mental Health Nervous System Occupational Health Safety Staff Development
• Keywords:
  Intervention Effectiveness Leadership Mental Health Military Personnel Psychological Effects Training Well-being
• ISSN:
  0026-4075
• Document Type:
  Text
• Funding:
  Grant
• Genre:
  Journal Article
• Place as Subject:
  Georgia ; Oregon ; OSHA Region 10 ; OSHA Region 4 ; South Carolina ; Washington
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Volume:
  189
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20070045
• Citation:
  Mil Med 2024 Sep/Oct; 189(Suppl 3):501-509
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2024
• Performing Organization:
  Portland State University
• Peer Reviewed:
  True
• Start Date:
  20050701
• Source Full Name:
  Military Medicine
• Supplement:
  3
• End Date:
  20250630
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:9ee077d946188026614ec42c67891d995d983868e5d84af35a0948690fd377590eed34f03680559e77a19896f716a5a178a80cf18702d457dbf5876394f48f0f
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/208344/cdc_208344_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 11.45 MB ]