Oregon Institute of Occupational Health Sciences, Oregon Health & Science University, Portland, OR 97239, USA.
Telfar School of Management, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Ontario K1N 6N5, Canada.
Mil Med. 2024 Aug 19;189(Suppl 3):501-509. doi: 10.1093/milmed/usae171.
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.
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.
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, pseudo ΔR2 = 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]).
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.
国防部已优先开展计划，通过增强其军人的适应力来优化战备状态。军人中存在的问题性愤怒是影响心理幸福感和适应力的一个问题。领导者的支持是减少愤怒及其影响的一种潜在策略。目前，军事适应力训练侧重于个人层面的适应力。这种训练存在差距，需要培训领导者，以便为下属提供心理健康和适应力支持。本研究开发并测试了一种基于理论的培训，该培训针对排级领导者，重点是通过引导讨论、情景和基于计算机的培训（嵌入测验），积极主动地参与和响应心理健康和适应力支持行为。
我们在美国一个现役军事基地的 2 个旅的陆军排级领导者（n=99）和士兵（n=276）中进行了一项机构审查委员会批准的群组随机对照试验，以测试领导力培训的效果。培训是面对面进行的，并辅以计算机培训。士兵在领导培训前 1 个月和 3 个月后在线完成调查。
培训后的结果显示出显著的领导学习效果（Cohen's d=1.56）和领导者对培训信息的积极反应，领导者表示这些信息对他们的工作有用且相关。与对照组相比，实验组在第 2 时间点的愤怒水平显著降低（b=-0.18，SE=0.06，P=0.002，伪 R2 增量=0.01；d=0.27）。我们还发现，通过减少愤怒，干预对增加第 2 时间点的生活满意度有间接影响（b=0.035，SE=0.023，95%置信区间= [0.004-0.24]）。
这项研究初步评估了针对排级领导者的培训，通过减少问题性愤怒和增加幸福感，教育他们采用积极主动和响应式的行为策略，为其下属的心理健康和适应力提供支持。应在其他军事部门和民用职业中进一步进行改编和评估，因为这种相对简短且非侵入性的培训的好处可能会很广泛。
