Evaluation of a Resilience Training Program: Modeling Targeted Mediator and Health-Related Outcomes

• Activity Number: 339
• Type: Contributed
• Date/Time: Tuesday, July 31, 2012 : 10:30 AM to 12:20 PM
• Sponsor: Section on Statistics in Defense and National Security
• Author(s): Weimin Zhang*+ and Salvatore 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 models ; Principal stratification ; resilience

Abstract

A mixed-methods program evaluation was conducted to assess the feasibility and impact of a resilience training program designed to aid service members in managing combat stress and enhancing resilience to maximize performance. The training was delivered to an Army Brigade Combat Team (N=3729) at two time points, pre- and post-deployment in 2009 and 2010. We would like to test whether the program has an impact on health-related outcomes including resilience, post-traumatic stress symptoms, general health status/quality of life, post-deployment reintegration and other outcomes assessed by the PDHA/PDHRA and the Health and Readiness Medical Survey (HERMES). In this set of analyses we try to explore relevant questions such as: Does the resilience training program have the effect on service members' resilience? Does the program directly affect resilience or caused by the use of skills? Do deployment status and stress level work with the program to have impact on resilience? Results indicate that soldiers who trained and used training skills demonstrated better health-related outcomes their peers who were not trained.