Behavioral & Community Health
Permanent URI for this communityhttp://hdl.handle.net/1903/2271
Prior to January 24, 2011, this unit was named the Department of Public & Community Health.
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Item Exploring Predictors of Military Spouses’ Comfort Seeking Military-Provided Counseling Services(2017) Brown, Christye Yvonne; Beck, Kenneth; Zanjani, Faika; Public and Community Health; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)Over 1.2 million (approximately half) of the service members deployed in support of the Global War on Terror were married at the time of their last deployment (Department of Defense, 2013). Data from the study of military and veteran families suggests that both stress and the process of coping with or overcoming exposure to adversity or stress resonate across the family system (Meredith L. S., et al., 2011), and that the impact of war and its consequences are experienced by partners and families in addition to service members (Lester, Blair, Saltzman, & Klosinski, 2013). The purpose of this study was to determine predictors of spouses' comfort in seeking military-provided counseling services when service members are deployed, by examining spousal coping behaviors, mental health status, and social support and demographics (rank and gender), as reported from the 2012 Active Duty Spouses Survey (ADSS). Analyzing survey data from 10,574 participants, we determined that 82.5% of the participants had spouses who were deployed for more than 30 consecutive days, and 64.3% of the participants felt comfortable using military-provided services for counseling. Statistically significant predictors of comfort-seeking, military-provided counseling services included positive coping behaviors, mental health status, social support, and the rank of the spouse’s partner. Spouses of officers were less likely to feel comfortable using military-provided services for counseling compared to spouses of enlisted service members. The level of psychological stress experienced by the spouses correlated with all predictors of comfort seeking, military-provided services for counseling. The results were consistent with previous studies on the predictors and outcomes of psychological stress among military spouses, and supported the Transactional Model of Stress and Coping. The results have practical significance because they will help planners tailor programs to optimize the uptake of counseling services for military spouses who are in need. We recommend that future research incorporate measures of the service members’ extended deployments in combat zones to determine if extended combat-related deployment predicts spouses’ comfort seeking military-provided services for counseling. Qualitative research may also be useful to provide more insight into why some military spouses feel comfortable using military-provided services for counseling while others do not.Item PREDICTORS OF RESILIENCE AMONG COMMISSIONED OFFICERS IN THE UNITED STATES PUBLIC HEALTH SERVICE(2012) Peat, Raquel Antonia; Desmond, Sharon M; Public and Community Health; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)The purpose of this cross-sectional study was to examine the predictors of resilience and mental health among United States Public Health Service (USPHS) commissioned officers who have deployed. The study employed the Transactional Model of Stress and Coping (Antonovsky and Kats, 1967; Cohen, 1984; Lazarus and Cohen, 1977) to aid in evaluation of the above factors. Relatively few research studies have examined the concept of resilience, and to date, no study has systematically examined risk, social support, mental health and resilience in USPHS commissioned officers. A pilot study (N = 11) was conducted to determine acceptability of the survey items and assess time needed to complete the questionnaire. The final 94-item on-line survey was completed over a two month time period by a convenience sample of 534 USPHS commissioned officers. Univariate analyses demonstrated that when entered individually, team support, post-deployment social support and mental health (protective factors) and the covariates, gender and relationship status were significantly (p<0.05) associated with resilience, while predeployment affectivity (risk factor) was not. When all risk and protective factors were entered into the multivariate logistic regression model, team support, post-deployment social support, mental health, gender and being divorced as compared to being separated, widowed or living with a partner were found to be significantly associated with resilience (p<0.05). Also, both team support and resilience were negatively associated with mental illness measured using depression, anxiety and post-traumatic stress disorder subscales (p<0.05). Those USPHS commissioned officers who reported mental illness were less likely to be resilient. This study provides new data that may help improve our understanding of the resilience and mental health of USPHS commissioned officers, before and after deployment. Findings can be used to inform education and training programs for USPHS commissioned officers (e.g. coping skills training techniques) to help increase their ability to thrive despite adversity before and after deployment.