Understanding resilience as it affects the transition from the UK Armed Forces to civilian life
Abstract: In the years following the release of the UK Ministry of Defence’s (MOD) Armed Forces Covenant1 and Strategy for Veterans, there has been growing interest among policy officials, charity representatives and academic experts in understanding the transition process for Service leavers. While recent evidence suggests that resilience is important to successful transition, no systematic review has been undertaken on the subject of UK Service leaver resilience and transition prior to this study. To address this research gap, RAND Europe was commissioned by the Forces in Mind Trust (FiMT) to undertake a literature review comprised of a systematic review of academic literature, a Rapid Evidence Assessment (REA) of academic and grey literature, and a scoping review of ongoing research on UK Service leaver resilience and transition. This study aims to improve understanding of whether, and if so how, resilience can affect transition pathways and outcomes for UK Service leavers.
Abstract: Objective: The present study is a retrospective quasi-experimental study to evaluate the effectiveness of the Warrior PATHH (WP) program at improving posttraumatic growth (PTG) outcomes and reducing PTSD symptoms compared to a waitlist control among a sample of Veterans. Method: Participants (n = 164) were U.S. military Veterans with a history of trauma. Participants were either undergoing the Warrior PATHH program or a waitlist. Primary outcome measures were administered at baseline and at 90-day follow-up and consisted of the Posttraumatic Growth Inventory – Expanded (PTGI-X) and the Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Checklist for DSM-5 (PCL-5). Secondary outcome measures assessed psychosocial functioning and included measures of depression and anxiety symptoms, sleep, wellbeing, and social support. Results: Significant differences were observed between groups on the PTGI-X (F(1, 205) = 23.667, p < .001, partial η2 = 0.103), and the PCL-5 (F(1, 205) = 262.460, p < .001, partial η2 = 0.561) with the WP group showing significant positive psychological change following a traumatic event as measured by the PTGI-X and decreased PTSD symptoms as measured by the PCL-5 compared to those in the waitlist condition. Those in the treatment arm also demonstrated gains to psychosocial functioning. Conclusions: Consistent with previous research, participants in the Warrior PATHH program exhibited significant increases in PTG outcomes, decreased PTSD symptoms, and broad improvements to psychosocial functioning. These findings suggest it is an effective training program to foster PTG outcomes among Veterans. This study is unique as it is the first to compare the effects of WP programming with a sample of waitlisted Veterans.