In a study published in the April 25 British Medical Journal (Vol. Currently, about 7.5 percent of soldiers who deploy to a combat theater develop PTSD, but the condition is not randomly distributed. Seligman, among others, hopes that one consequence of the program will be a reduction in the number of service members who experience PTSD, which according to a September study by researchers from Stanford University and the Naval Postgraduate School, may eventually affect as many as 35 percent of soldiers serving in Afghanistan and Iraq ( Management Science, Vol. The program also includes self-development modules based on psychological research in four key mental fitness areas: emotional, social, spiritual and family well-being. The initiative's biggest component is resiliency training, based on research by Seligman, as well as techniques used in the Army's "Battlemind" program, an instruction program launched in 2007 and designed to boost resilience before battle and help soldiers adjust to life back home. And more will find that they have developed greater leadership, maturity, and appreciation of life and family. So, if more soldiers are trained to cope successfully with adverse events, fewer will go on to struggle with mental health issues, abuse drugs and alcohol or contemplate suicide after deployment. "The program's aim is to move the entire distribution toward the healthy end." Seligman says. At the extreme end is post-traumatic stress disorder, in the middle is ordinary resilience and at the positive end is post-traumatic growth. Seligman, PhD, director of the Positive Psychology Center at the University of Pennsylvania, who is consulting with the Pentagon on the progam's development.
The idea behind the soldier fitness program is that the response to strong adversity, like combat, is bell shaped, says Martin E.P. "We need to attend to psychological fitness the same way we do physical performance." Rhonda Cornum, PhD, MD, director of the Comprehensive Soldier Fitness program.
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"We don't assume people can shoot when they come into the Army, so we teach them how to load weapons and how to aim," says Brig.
Developed in conjunction with several of psychology's top stars, the initiative seeks to assess and enhance soldiers' ability to cope with all of life's challenges, including the mental rigors of combat.
Army as it rolled out its Comprehensive Soldier Fitness program to 1.1 million active-duty soldiers, reservists and members of the National Guard this fall. Can a program that reduces depression and anxiety in children boost resilience among soldiers?
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