La psicología militar en la prevención de salud mental durante la pandemia por SARS-Cov-2 / Military psychology in mental health prevention in Spain during the SARS-Cov-2 Pandemic

La literatura científica señala que las situaciones de emergencias y desastres tienen un impacto más elevado para la salud mental que para la salud física. No había razones para pensar que la pandemia por COVID-19 y la situación de estado de alarma fueran a impactar menos que epidemias anteriores. Por ello, la psicología militar debía aportar algunas de sus capacidades para reducir el impacto de la emergencia en la salud mental de una parte de la población. MÉTODO: Se realizaron búsquedas bibliográficas en PubMed, PsycINFO y EBSCOhost de cara a analizar el impacto de la pandemia por COVID-19 en la salud mental. Además, se describen algunas de las diferentes actuaciones que ha llevado a cabo la psicología militar en todo el territorio nacional, durante la mencionada crisis sanitaria. RESULTADOS: Se observa un impacto psicológico negativo del COVID-19 en países como China, Argelia, Irán, India, Italia, España, Reino Unido o Alemania. La psicología militar realizó al menos 15000 actuaciones, aunque no todas se concretaron en intervenciones psicológicas y solo unas 8000 se pudieron contabilizar formalmente. El 40% de las personas atendidas recibieron al menos una intervención psicológica (13% en formato individual y 27% en sesión grupal para intervinientes). De las actuaciones individuales contabilizadas, aproximadamente el 18% derivó en intervención psicológica. En las intervenciones individuales se observaron síntomas de salud mental negativos, así como patrones de resiliencia para gestionar el estrés. Las actuaciones se llevaron a cabo con: Trabajadores y usuarios de residencias de mayores y centros de personas vulnerables; hospitalizados y familiares de hospitalizados y fallecidos por COVID-19; militares intervinientes en la emergencia; familiares de militares; trabajadores civiles del Ministerio de Defensa; militares en situación de retiro; y viudas de militares. CONCLUSIONES: Según la literatura científica, la emergencia sanitaria ha tenido un impacto negativo en la salud mental. Sin embargo, pese a los síntomas negativos, los individuos también demuestran patrones de resiliencia bien establecidos

Scientific community indicates that emergency and disaster situations have a higher impact on mental health than on physical health. There was no reason to believe that outbreak COVID-19 and state of alarm were going to impact less than previous epidemics. For this reason, military psychology needed to contribute with some of its capabilities to reduce the impact of the emergency on the mental health of part of the population. METHOD: Bibliographic searches in PubMed, PsycINFO and EBSCOhost were performed for analyze the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on mental health. In addition, some of the actions that military psychology has carried out throughout the Nation are described. RESULTS: A negative psychological impact of COVID-19 was observed in countries such as China, Algeria, Iran, India, Italy, Spain, United Kingdom or Germany. Military psychology carried out at least 15,000 actions, although not all of them resulted in psychological interventions and about half of them were formally accounted. Approximately 40% of the people received at least one psychological intervention (13% in individual format and 27% in group session for participants). Of the individual actions recorded, about 18% needed psychological first aid. Negative symptoms but also positive resilience patterns were observed in people. Actions were done in different contexts: Workers and users of nursing homes and centers for vulnerable people; hospitalized and hospitalized's relatives and deceased by COVID-19; military personnel as first workers; military relatives; civil workers from the Ministry of Defense; retired military personnel; and military widows. CONCLUSIONS: According to the scientific literature, this outbreak has had a negative impact on mental health. However, despite negative symptoms, people also presented resilience patterns

Military psychologists and cultural competence: exploring implications for the manifestation and treatment of psychological trauma in the British armed forces.

This paper considers the manifestation and treatment of psychological trauma in the military. The article describes how military psychologists conceptualise psychological trauma within the culture of the Armed Forces (AF), which is reflected in the process of acquiring what has been referred to as cultural competency. Psychologists in this context acquire an understanding of the manner in which the psychological and organisational systems and culture of the military affect the presentation of psychological trauma, including post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). The paper outlines core psychological features of military life, including some of the ways in which the AF functions effectively as an adaptable fighting force. This highlights, for example, the potential for stigma within and between military personnel who experience mental health difficulties. The article proceeds to examine aspects of help-seeking in military mental healthcare, how symptoms can present at different stages in a deployment process, and the consequences that such problems can cause for military conduct and performance. Psychological care in the military is structured within an occupational mental health ethos, in which psychologists fulfil a range of clinical, organisational and leadership roles. These dynamics are explored with examples of care pathways and clarity on evidence-based interventions for trauma and PTSD in those experiencing military-related psychological injuries. Two vignettes are then offered to illustrate how some of these interventions can be used psychotherapeutically in addressing symptoms pertaining to hyperarousal, hypervigilance, guilt and shame.

[Modern state and prospects of development of medical-and-psychological support of military servicemen of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation].

The authors analysed state and prospects of medical-and-psychological support of military servicemen, which is supposed to consider as a complex of measures aimed at monitoring of professional psychological health, professional-and-psychological expertise, psychophysiological and pharmacological, correction, and medical-and-psychological rehabilitation. Organisation and maintaince of the above mentioned measures should be carried out by specialists of medical--and-psychological support groups and medical-and-psychological correction.

Las prácticas basadas en la evidencia en psicología y en psicología militar / The evidence-based practices in psychology and in military psychology

Tanto en el ámbito civil como en el militar las prácticas de los psicólogos han estado, muchas veces, exentas de fundamento empírico y otras se han apoyado en corrientes psicológicas tradicionales meramente teóricas. Además, aunque las intervenciones psicológicas se hayan basado en variables o aspectos demostrados en estudios previos, en demasiadas ocasiones, dichas intervenciones no habían sido validadas en muestras controladas. Afortunadamente para la profesión y sus usuarios, esta tendencia está cambiando siendo la exigencia a los psicólogos cada vez mayor y estando la psicología cada vez más en una posición sólida y de calidad demostrada

The psychological practices has not been based in evidence for many year and times and, some others, they has been supported by traditional psychological theory but not pragmatic and nether empirical. Furthermore, psychological interventions could be done including demonstrated facts but most of those interventions had never been validated in randomized controlled trial. Fortunately for the profession and its clients, this trend is changing. Increasing quality and demands are required to psychologists and psychology is getting, finally, a strong position

Understanding the POW experience: stress research and the implementation of the 1955 U.S. Armed Forces Code of Conduct.

Facing accusations about weak military discipline following the supposedly poor behavior of American soldiers held captive during the Korean War, President Dwight Eisenhower instituted a Code of Conduct for the Armed Services in 1955. In response, military leaders hired numerous social and behavioral scientists to investigate the nature of the prisoner-of-war (POW) experience. These researchers not only challenged official government accounts of POW activities but opened up a new field of study-stress research. They also changed military training policy, which soon focused more on stress inoculation training, and, in so doing, helped lead the shift in psychology away from behaviorism to ego and cognitive psychology. In this sense, my article ties shifts within the social and behavioral sciences in the 1950s to the military history of the early Cold War, a connection generally missing from most accounts of this period.

Psychological intervention in the spanish military deployed on international operations / Intervención psicológica en militares españoles desplegados en operaciones internacionales

BACKGROUND: Spain was one of the first countries to recognize the importance of psychological aspects in the planning and development of international military operations, and also to include military psychologists in contingents deployed abroad. METHOD: This paper describes the psychological intervention model used by Spanish military psychologists involved in military operations abroad. RESULTS: This model is comprised of a systematic set of interventions and actions carried out in the different phases of any military operation (concentration, deployment and post-mission). It also contemplates the intervention not only in personnel who integrate the military contingents, but also with their families and, at certain times of the mission, with the local population of the area in which the operation is carried out. CONCLUSIONS: The model presented has a preventive orientation, based on the selection and psychological preparation of contingents before deployment, and supplemented by support in the area of operations for personnel who need it, and the psychological care of their families in Spain. Whereas this model has been effective so far, in this work, we present a series of measures aimed at improving the psychological well-being of our troops deployed outside our country

ANTECEDENTES: España ha sido pionera en reconocer la importancia de los aspectos psicológicos en la planificación y desarrollo de las operaciones militares internacionales, y en incluir a psicólogos en los contingentes desplegados en ellas. MÉTODO: este trabajo describe el modelo de intervención psicológica utilizado por los psicólogos militares españoles que participan en misiones y operaciones en el exterior. RESULTADO: dicho modelo está conformado por un conjunto sistematizado de intervenciones y actuaciones que se llevan a cabo en las distintas fases que componen toda operación militar (concentración, despliegue y postmisión). Igualmente contempla la intervención tanto en el personal que integra los contingentes militares, como en sus familias y, en determinados momentos de la misión, en la población local de la zona en que se desarrolla. CONCLUSIONES: el modelo presentado posee una orientación claramente preventiva, basada en la selección y preparación psicológica del contingente antes del despliegue, y complementada con la asistencia en zona de operaciones al personal que lo requiera y la atención a sus familias en territorio nacional. Pese a la eficacia de dicho modelo, se analizan sus limitaciones y se exponen algunas medidas para mejorar el bienestar psicológico de nuestras tropas desplegadas en el exterior

Character strengths: a study of argentinean soldiers

The primary objective of this research was to study the differences in positive traits between military and civilian college students and between cadets in their first and final years at a military academy. Second, the research aimed to study the relations between positive traits and the academic and military performance of cadets in their first and final years, according to the classification of positive traits by Peterson and Seligman (2004). To accomplish these objectives, a sample of university students from a military educational institution and a sample of civilian university students were studied. The instruments used were a 24-item self-report measure of positive traits, a measure of social desirability, and objective scores of academic and military performance. The results generally showed that when age and career stage were held constant, the scores of the military students were higher than the scores of the civilian students across various strengths. Military students reported higher levels of the character strength of spirituality than did civilian students. The relationships between strengths and performance differed for students in their first and final years at the military academy. In particular, cadets with the higher levels of academic or military performance in their last year, i.e., the cadets best adapted to the academy, reported higher levels of the character strength of persistence when compared to low-performing cadets in the same year of study (AU)

Los objetivos de esta investigación fueron, por una parte, estudiar las diferencias en rasgos positivos entre estudiantes universitarios militares y civiles, y entre cadetes de primero y último año de una academia militar; y por otra, estudiar la relación entre los rasgos positivos y los rendimientos académicos y militares de cadetes de primero y de último año, siguiendo la clasificación de rasgos positivos de Peterson y Seligman (2004). Para ello se trabajó con una muestra de estudiantes universitarios de una institución militar educativa y con una muestra de estudiantes universitarios civiles. Se utilizó un autoinforme de rasgos positivos de 24 ítems, una medida de deseabilidad social y las calificaciones objetivas de los rendimientos académicos y militares. Los resultados generalmente mostraron que, equilibrados por edad y progreso en la carrera, las puntuaciones de los varones militares son más altas que las puntuaciones de los varones civiles en varias fortalezas. Se observó que los estudiantes militares muestran mayores niveles de la fortaleza espiritualidad que los estudiantes civiles. Son diferentes las relaciones entre las fortalezas y los rendimientos para primero y último año de cursada militar. Particularmente en el último curso, se observó que los cadetes de altos rendimientos académicos o militares, i. e., los cadetes con mejor adaptación a la academia, muestran mayores niveles de la fortaleza persistencia, en comparación con los cadetes de bajos rendimientos del mismo año de estudios (AU)

Comprehensive soldier fitness: a vision for psychological resilience in the U.S. Army.

The stress and strain on the U.S. Army's community due to nearly a decade of protracted war is well documented in the press and in scientific literature. In response, the Army's Comprehensive Soldier Fitness (CSF) program is a preventive program that seeks to enhance psychological resilience among all members of the Army community, which includes soldiers, family members, and Department of the Army civilians. CSF is not a medical treatment program. Rather, CSF helps those community members who are psychologically healthy face life's adversities-including combat and prolonged separation from loved ones-by providing evidence-based training.

Bringing science to bear: an empirical assessment of the Comprehensive Soldier Fitness program.

This article outlines the U.S. Army's effort to empirically validate and assess the Comprehensive Soldier Fitness (CSF) program. The empirical assessment includes four major components. First, the CSF scientific staff is currently conducting a longitudinal study to determine if the Master Resilience Training program and the Comprehensive Resilience Modules lead to lasting resilience development in soldiers. Second, the CSF program has partnered with other researchers to conduct a series of longitudinal studies examining the link between physiological, neurobiological, and psychological resilience factors. Third, the CSF program is also incorporating institutional-level data to determine if its material influences health, behavioral, and career outcomes. Fourth, group randomized trials are being conducted to ensure that resilience training incorporated under the CSF program is effective with soldiers. A specific rationale and methodologies are discussed.

[Directions of improvement of psycho-physiological supply of professional activity of specialists of manipulation of spacecrafts].

Were determined components of systems of guarantee of security of activity of specialists of manipulation of spacecrafts (SC): abidance by general organizational-methodological rules and principles of work, excluding violations in organization of duty, preventing of nonfulfillment and failure of sessions of control by SC, determination and deleting negative factors of operative activity, guarantee of safety of system "man-mechanism-environment." Were determined peculiarities of activity of specialists of manipulation of spacecrafts, their professionally important qualities, which had to be considered in effectuating of professional psycho-selection. Were shown regularities of changes in functional state and professional working capacity of operators of command-measured complexes during daily duty and during cycle of a year. Was made a conclusion about necessity of improvement of system of psychophysiological accompaniment of activity of specialists of manipulation of SC.

Áreas emergentes en Psicología Militar / No disponible

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Confidentiality and the psychological treatment of U.S. Army aircrew members.

The present article addresses the issue of confidentiality in U.S. Army psychological services and the special considerations affecting the confidentiality afforded to Army aviation personnel receiving such services. The author reviews Army regulations and American Psychological Association ethical standards relevant to the issue of confidentiality for aircrew members. Recommendations are offered for mental health professionals who provide services to Army aviation personnel, and a hypothetical clinical case is presented to illustrate the concepts discussed.

Pilot selection batteries: shortcomings and perspectives.

This article presents a critical examination of pilot selection batteries. The first part of the article focuses on two problems. First, the vast majority of pilot selection batteries predict training performance rather than operational performance; second, the batteries have low correlations between the predictors and the criterion. The second part of the article examines why these two problems occur. Last, a number of suggestions for improving the predictive validity of the selection batteries are offered.