Peace of mind: Promoting psychological growth and reducing the suffering of combat veterans.

The Peace of Mind (POM) program was designed to enable combat veterans in Israel to process their combat experience, address difficulties in the transition to civilian life and facilitate psychological growth as a result of their military experience. During the course of the program, 1068 participants were studied at four time points. Post-traumatic symptoms were measured using the PTSD checklist for DSM-5 (PCL-5), and post-traumatic growth (PTG) was measured using the Post Traumatic Growth Inventory (PTGI). Multilevel Modeling (MLM) was used to assess symptom and psychological trajectories for all participants and for those who began with and without PTSD symptoms, respectively. The results demonstrated that those who began the program with elevated PTSD symptoms experienced a significant reduction in PTSD symptoms following the completion of the intensive element of the program. Additionally, all participants demonstrated an increase in PTG following the intensive section of the program and this was maintained throughout follow-up. The findings indicate that the POM program is beneficial in relation to both positive and negative outcomes of traumatic military experiences though it is clear that the transition from combat to civilian life is more complex than the current measures identify and that further research needs to examine the distinct lifestyle and functional changes which occur following the program.

How do you see me? The impact of perceived societal recognition on PTSD symptoms amongst Norwegian peacekeepers.

Background: The peacekeeper role is different to that of traditional combat, however, peacekeepers, like combat soldiers, may also be exposed to high levels of dangerous and/or potentially morally injurious events (PMIEs).Objective: It was hypothesized that given the centrality of societal approval for the peacekeeping mission, in addition to the known relevance of perceived social support, perceived societal recognition would influence PTSD symptoms (PTSS) and depression. It was hypothesized that perceived societal recognition would moderate the effect of exposure to potentially traumatic events and PMIEs on psychological outcomes.Method: 8341, predominantly male, former UNIFIL peacekeepers, almost three decades following deployment, answered a survey to determine the impact of perceived social support and perceived societal recognition, on PTSS and depression symptoms. Hierarchical regression analyses were performed for PTSS and depression separately and moderation analysis was performed for perceived societal recognition.Results: Exposure to potentially traumatic events showed the greatest predictive value for PTSS and exposure to PMIEs and potentially traumatic events were equally predictive of depression symptoms. While perceived social support presented the strongest buffer for PTSS and depression symptoms following UNIFIL deployment, perceived societal recognition also significantly contributed to the prediction of both PTSS and depression symptoms. There was a weak moderation effect of perceived societal recognition on trauma type in the development of PTSS.Conclusions: Even decades following peacekeeping deployment, military experiences have a significant impact on psychological functioning. This impact is both from the types of events experienced and from the perception of social and societal support upon return home.

Peacekeepers receive little attention in general military research and their missions are often directly influenced by public perception.The current study found that key military traumas; danger based and moral injury based events, were prevalent in the peacekeeper population and predicted PTSD symptoms and depression symptoms respectively.While there was a weak moderation effect, perceived societal recognition was a unique predictor of PTSD symptoms. Those who perceived negative levels of societal recognition of the UNIFIL mission had greater PTSD symptoms than those who perceived neutral or positive levels of societal recognition.

Trauma care in crisis: war trauma and mental health funding.

Background: Israel is currently under a state of continued unrest and state of war. There has been an influx of financial aid to treat the mental health fallout both from within Israel and abroad. Despite increased research into resilience, treatment and wide-scale interventions, there is a concern that this is not significantly influencing mental health aid allocation.Objective: This letter to the editor aims to describe the current situation and address current difficulties in regard to the relevant literature from recent conflicts and national traumatic events.Method: A consortium of national and international trauma experts pooled together their knowledge to produce a working statement based on evidence from clinical and research findings.Results: As opposed to wider, short-term psychological interventions which have limited long-term proven efficacy, lessons from previous war zones, wide-scale exposure to trauma and current war-torn countries highlight the importance of targeting and assessment, addressing barriers to care, strengthening existing systems and promoting community resilience and care.Conclusions: In addition to acute care, funding should be allocated to long-term care, enhancing treatment accessibility and community follow-up and additionally support long-term research to assess effectiveness and contribute to international knowledge.

Immediately following widescale attacks, national disasters and outbreaks of war there is a tendency for an outpouring of aid, and in recent years, mental health aid.Despite an increase in research in the field there are still significant gaps in the literature and a disconnect between the evidence and economic and philanthropic policy with short-term initiatives often favoured over long-term strategic planning.It is recommended that greater attention be paid to targeting and assessment, addressing barriers to care, strengthening existing systems and promoting community care.