When the First Crusade ended with the conquest of Jerusalem in 1099, jubilant crusaders returned home to Europe bringing with them stories, sacred relics, and other memorabilia, including banners, ...jewelry, and weapons. In the ensuing decades, the memory of the crusaders' bravery and pious sacrifice was invoked widely among the noble families of western Christendom. Popes preaching future crusades would count on these very same families for financing, leadership, and for the willing warriors who would lay down their lives on the battlefield. Despite the great risks and financial hardships associated with crusading, descendants of those who suffered and died on crusade would continue to take the cross, in some cases over several generations. Indeed, as Nicholas L. Paul reveals inTo Follow in Their Footsteps, crusading was very much a family affair.
Scholars of the crusades have long pointed to the importance of dynastic tradition and ties of kinship in the crusading movement but have failed to address more fundamental questions about the operation of these social processes. What is a "family tradition"? How are such traditions constructed and maintained, and by whom? How did crusading families confront the loss of their kin in distant lands? Making creative use of Latin dynastic narratives as well as vernacular literature, personal possessions and art objects, and architecture from across western Europe, Paul shows how traditions of crusading were established and reinforced in the collective memories of noble families throughout the twelfth and thirteenth centuries. Even rulers who never fulfilled crusading vows found their political lives dominated and, in some ways, directed by the memory of their crusading ancestors. Filled with unique insights and careful analysis,To Follow in Their Footstepsreveals the lasting impact of the crusades, beyond the expeditions themselves, on the formation of dynastic identity and the culture of the medieval European nobility.
Recent evidence indicates a high prevalence of child abuse exposure in modern US veterans, which may explain in part their higher likelihood of suicide relative to civilians. However, the ...relationship between child abuse exposure and suicide-related outcomes in military personnel relative to civilians is unknown. Furthermore, the associations among deployment-related trauma, child abuse exposure, and suicide-related outcomes in military personnel have not been examined.
To determine whether child abuse exposure is more prevalent in Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) personnel compared with the Canadian general population (CGP); to compare the association between child abuse exposure and suicidal ideation, suicide plans, and suicide attempts among the CAF and CGP; and to determine whether child abuse exposure has an additive or interaction effect on the association of deployment-related trauma and past-year suicidal ideation and suicide plans among Regular Forces personnel.
Data were collected from the following 2 nationally representative data sets: the 2013 Canadian Forces Mental Health Survey (CFMHS) for the CAF (8161 respondents; response rate, 79.8%) and the 2012 Canadian Community Health Survey-Mental Health (CCHS-MH) for the CGP (23,395 respondents; response rate, 68.9% of these, 15,981 age-matched participants were drawn). Data were collected from April 15 to August 31, 2013, for the CFMHS and January 2 to December 31, 2012, for the CCHS-MH. Data were analyzed from October 2014 to October 22, 2015. Statistical weights were applied to both data sets.
Child abuse exposure, including physical abuse, sexual abuse, and exposure to intimate partner violence, and deployment-related trauma were assessed in relation to suicide-related outcomes.
Data were analyzed from 24 142 respondents aged 18 to 60 years (Regular Forces, 86.1% male and 13.9% female; Reserve Forces, 90.6% male and 8.9% female; and CGP, 49.9% male and 50.1% female). Any child abuse exposure was higher in the Regular Forces (47.7%; 95% CI, 46.4%-49.1%) and Afghanistan mission-deployed Reserve Forces (49.4%; 95% CI, 46.3%-51.5%) compared with the CGP (33.1%; 95% CI, 31.8%-34.4%). All types of child abuse exposures were associated with increased odds of suicidal ideation, suicide plans, and suicide attempts in the CGP (range of adjusted odds ratios AORs, 3.0 95% CI, 2.3-3.9 to 7.7 95% CI, 5.7-10.3; P < .05) and CAF (range of AORs, 1.7 95% CI, 1.0-2.9 to 6.3 95% CI, 4.2-9.5; P < .05), with many associations significantly weaker in military personnel relative to civilians. Additive effects for past-year suicide ideation (AOR, 2.7; 95% CI, 1.8-4.2) and past-year suicide plans (AOR, 4.6; 95% CI, 2.3-9.2) but not interactive effects for past-year suicide ideation (AOR, 1.2; 95% CI, 0.7-2.2) and past-year suicide plans (AOR, 0.8; 95% CI, 0.3-2.2) were noted between deployment-related trauma and child abuse exposure among Regular Forces personnel.
Individuals with a child abuse history may be more likely to enter the military, and child abuse exposure may increase the likelihood of suicide-related outcomes. Prevention efforts targeting child abuse may reduce suicide-related outcomes.
Introduction Military operations require vigilance and performance under stressful conditions while functioning with little sleep. Performance impairments (i.e., marksmanship, vigilance, executive ...function) have been linked with reduced sleep duration and sleep quality, as well as perceived sleepiness and fatigue. This research assessed changes in the Soldier subjective sleep profile when conducting a 72-hour military exercise during a stateside period between deployments. Methods Performance of forty-six Soldier volunteers 42 males (mean age 24.5±4.2) was assessed during a company-wide mission exercise. Subjective sleep duration, quality, and sleepiness were collected two weeks prior to mission and immediately post-mission, utilizing a modified Pittsburg Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) and the Epworth Sleepiness Scale (ESS). Results Sleep duration pre-mission (M=5.77 hours, SD=1.45) was significantly higher than post-mission (M=3.94 hours, SD=1.34) (p<.0001), and significantly different across platoon-group (p=.027). However, mean sleep duration pre-mission was lower than the Army-recommended 7-8 hours, indicating chronic sleep debt across platoons prior to mission commencement. Additionally, there were no differences in PSQI scores across pre- and post-mission, with 83% categorized as “poor sleepers” (PSQI > 5) pre-mission (M=7.85, SD=3.83) and ending with 98% “poor sleepers” post-mission (M=8.71, SD=2.45). Perceived sleepiness also significantly increased across the mission (p<.0001); however, ESS scores for both pre- and post-mission indicated clinically relevant levels of excessive daytime sleepiness (ESS > 10) (pre: M=10.61, SD=5.76; post: M=17.57, SD=7.48). Conclusion The time between deployments is intended as a recovery period, where Soldiers can recharge, reconnect, and train. However, even when stateside, Soldiers may be at risk for chronic sleep restriction and poor sleep quality leading to excessive daytime sleepiness even before participating in mission training and future deployment. Further investigation of potential influencing factors is warranted (i.e., Unit type, command climate, training regimes, work-life balance). Furthermore, platoon characteristics may influence factors leading to sleepiness during mission activities. Further analysis will explore performance degradations associated with daytime sleepiness and individual platoon differences, such as leadership, qualifications, and group cohesion. Support (If Any) Military Operational Medicine Research Program and Natick Soldier Research Development Engineering Center.
Introduction Insomnia is prevalent among Service Members (SMs) and Veterans and affected by interpersonal processes. This project explored how attachment style and perceived social support (SS) ...influence insomnia in military personnel. Analyses focused on appraisal type SS because the perception of available others may attenuate feelings of loneliness and stress, which negatively impact sleep. We hypothesized greater SS would be associated with lower insomnia severity for people with lower and greater anxious attachment, but only for those with lower avoidant attachment. We also hypothesized SS would mediate the relationship between anxious, but not avoidant attachment, and insomnia severity. Methods Ninety-nine SMs and Veterans (aged 19-67) completed self-report measures of attachment style, SS, and insomnia severity. Linear regression evaluated the main and interaction effects of attachment style and SS on insomnia. PROCESS in SPSS was used to examine mediating effects of SS. Anxious and avoidant attachment were examined separately. Results Anxious attachment, avoidant attachment, and SS were independently associated with insomnia severity (β=.29, β=.29, β=-.36; p<.01). Anxious attachment and SS better predicted insomnia severity than anxious attachment alone (ΔR2=.11, ΔF=12.51, p=.001). Similar findings emerged for avoidant attachment and SS (ΔR2=.10, ΔF=11.72, p=.001). Findings were not significant after adjusting for age, childhood trauma, and current PTSD and mood disorders. The interaction of anxious attachment by SS and avoidant attachment by SS on insomnia severity were not significant. SS partially mediated the relationship between anxious attachment and insomnia severity (indirect effect=.074, CI=.008,.154), but did not mediate the relationship between avoidant attachment and insomnia severity. Conclusion Findings are consistent with literature linking lower anxious attachment or greater SS with better sleep among military personnel. Results show an association between avoidant attachment and subjectively reported insomnia severity, additive effects of anxious or avoidant attachment and SS on insomnia severity, and a mediating role of SS on the relationship between anxious attachment and insomnia severity. As SS is modifiable, enhancement of SS in treatment of insomnia may yield increased benefits for SMs and Veterans. Support (If Any) DOD CDMRP & MOMRP (PR054993, PT073961, Log#11293006 (PI: Germain)
A large body of research has been produced in recent years investigating posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) among military personnel following deployment to Iraq and Afghanistan, resulting in ...apparent differences in PTSD prevalence. We compare prevalence estimates for current PTSD between military subgroups, providing insight into how groups may be differentially affected by deployment. Systematic literature searches using the terms PTSD, stress disorder, and acute stress, combined with terms relating to military personnel, identified 49 relevant papers. Studies with a sample size of less than 100 and studies based on data for treatment seeking or injured populations were excluded. Studies were categorized according to theatre of deployment (Iraq or Afghanistan), combat and noncombat deployed samples, sex, enlistment type (regular or reserve and or National Guard), and service branch (for example, army, navy, and air force). Meta-analysis was used to assess PTSD prevalence across subgroups. There was large variability in PTSD prevalence between studies, but, regardless of heterogeneity, prevalence rates of PTSD were higher among studies of Iraq-deployed personnel (12.9%; 95% CI 11.3% to 14.4%), compared with personnel deployed to Afghanistan (7.1%; 95% CI 4.6% to 9.6%), combat deployed personnel, and personnel serving in the Canadian, US, or UK army or the navy or marines (12.4%; 95% CI 10.9% to 13.4%), compared with the other services (4.9%; 95% CI 1.4% to 8.4%). Contrary to findings from within-study comparisons, we did not find a difference in PTSD prevalence for regular active-duty and reserve or National Guard personnel. Categorizing studies according to deployment location and branch of service identified differences among subgroups that provide further support for factors underlying the development of PTSD.
Master Resilience Training in the U.S. Army Reivich, Karen J; Seligman, Martin E. P; McBride, Sharon
The American psychologist,
01/2011, Volume:
66, Issue:
1
Journal Article
Peer reviewed
The U.S. Army Master Resilience Trainer (MRT) course, which provides face-to-face resilience training, is one of the foundational pillars of the Comprehensive Soldier Fitness program. The 10-day MRT ...course is the foundation for training resilience skills to sergeants and for teaching sergeants how to teach these skills to their soldiers. The curriculum is based on materials developed by the University of Pennsylvania, the Penn Resilience Program (PRP), and other empirically validated work in the field of positive psychology. This "train the trainer model" is the main vehicle for the dissemination of MRT concepts to the entire force.
The article examines the essential characteristics of professional psychological selection of military personnel through the analysis of professional selection and its structure. The problem of ...effective implementation of professional psychological selection is considered by the authors as a problem of mutual correspondence of the individual and the profession. It is noted that it is solvable only if a certain set of requirements is met: both the individual's requests for a certain type of professional activity, and the requirements of the activity itself for the subjective characteristics of the «person of labor». Professional selection of military personnel structurally includes: social selection; medical selection; professional psychological selection; educational and qualification selection; assessment of the level of functional development and general physical fitness. The scientific results of the study include the fact that the general characteristics of the candidate and the military specialist performing professional psychological selection, the conditions and means of its implementation are disclosed.
The Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Checklist (PCL-5; Weathers et al., 2013) was recently revised to reflect the changed diagnostic criteria for posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in the fifth ...edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5; American Psychiatric Association, 2013). We investigated the psychometric properties of PCL-5 scores in a large cohort (N = 912) of military service members seeking PTSD treatment while stationed in garrison. We examined the internal consistency, convergent and discriminant validity, and DSM-5 factor structure of PCL-5 scores, their sensitivity to clinical change relative to PTSD Symptom Scale-Interview (PSS-I; Foa, Riggs, Dancu, & Rothbaum, 1993) scores, and their diagnostic utility for predicting a PTSD diagnosis based on various measures and scoring rules. PCL-5 scores exhibited high internal consistency. There was strong agreement between the order of hypothesized and observed correlations among PCL-5 and criterion measure scores. The best-fitting structural model was a 7-factor hybrid model (Armour et al., 2015), which demonstrated closer fit than all other models evaluated, including the DSM-5 model. The PCL-5's sensitivity to clinical change, pre- to posttreatment, was comparable with that of the PSS-I. Optimally efficient cut scores for predicting PTSD diagnosis were consistent with prior research with service members (Hoge, Riviere, Wilk, Herrell, & Weathers, 2014). The results indicate that the PCL-5 is a psychometrically sound measure of DSM-5 PTSD symptoms that is useful for identifying provisional PTSD diagnostic status, quantifying PTSD symptom severity, and detecting clinical change over time in PTSD symptoms among service members seeking treatment.
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