Evaluation of a Resilience Training Program: The Influence of Program Mediators on Service Members' Resilience

• Activity Number: 137
• Type: Contributed
• Date/Time: Monday, August 1, 2011 : 8:30 AM to 10:20 AM
• Sponsor: Section on Statistics in Defense and National Security
• Author(s): Weimin Zhang*+ and Salvatore V. Libretto and Dawn Wallerstedt and Joan Walter
• Companies: Samueli Institute and Samueli Institute and Samueli Institute and Samueli Institute
• Keywords: linear and nonlinear regression ; path models ; mediation model ; principal stratification ; resilience

Abstract

Resilience is the capacity to cope with or adapt to significant risk and adversity and to recover quickly from stressful change or misfortune. A skills-based resilience training program designed to aid service members in managing combat stress and enhancing resilience to maximize performance was delivered to over 4,000 soldiers in two Brigade Combat Teams at three time points in 2009 and 2010. In this set of analyses we utilize data obtained from soldiers to explore relevant questions such as: Does the resilience training program have an effect on service members' resilience? Do the constructs targeted by the cognitive and skills training program (i.e., knowledge of perceived control, self-enhancement skills and positive emotions) have an effect on resilience? Do the constructs directly affect resilience or are they mediated by the use of skills? Do ethnicity, army rank, and deployment status work with the constructs of the program to have an impact on resilience? Mediation models will be explored to help explain the differential effects. Hypotheses will be tested using linear and nonlinear regression path models.