Military commitment and identity as implicit religion: A key to understanding the loss of profundity in the transition from military to civilian life
This article is based on a rare longitudinal interview study on the transition from military to civilian life in which participants shared their experiences over the course of ten years. The challenges of transition included disconnection from a collective life that had previously offered service members identity, community, camaraderie and purpose – experiences that can be understood as the partial loss of something profound. An abductive analysis was conducted which centred on the integrating foci of commitment and the creation of a military identity derived from implicit religion. When viewed through this lens, the significance or strength of implicit religion and belief, in the context of military commitment, can be described as paramount and sacred – worthy of dying for. The findings offer a novel understanding of the profound experiences related to military communal life, purpose, and identity during active service (that is, the conceptualization as implicit religion) as well as the loss of these implicit religious elements during the transition out of military life, and how the participants have thought about and dealt with this loss in various ways.
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.