Well-being of Canadian Armed Forces members during the COVID-19 pandemic: the influence of positive health behaviours.

Introduction: The COVID-19 pandemic has been linked to increased depression, anxiety and other adverse mental health outcomes. Understanding the behaviours that positively influence health is important for the development of strategies to maintain andimprove well-being during the pandemic.

Methods: This study focussed on Canadian Armed Forces Regular Force members (N = 13 668) who participated in the COVID-19 Defence Team Survey, administered between April and May 2020.

Trials and tribulations among members of Canada's Defence Team early in the pandemic: key insights from the COVID-19 Defence Team Survey.

Introduction: Due to the unprecedented impact of COVID-19, there is a need for research assessing pandemic-related challenges and stressors. The current study aimed to assess key concerns and general well-being among members of Canada's Defence Team, including Canadian Armed Forces personnel and members of the Department of National Defence (DND) Public Service.

Methods: The COVID-19 Defence Team Survey was administered electronically to Defence Team staff in April and May of 2020 and was completed by 13 688 Regular Force, 5985 Reserve Force and 7487 civilian DND Public Service personnel.

Conducting research during the COVID-19 pandemic: the Op LASER study.

The Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) deployed 2595 regular and reserve force personnel on Operation (Op) LASER, the CAF's mission to provide support to civilian staff at longterm care facilities in Ontario and in the Centres d'hébergement de soins de longue durée in Quebec. An online longitudinal survey and in-depth virtual discussions were conducted by a multidisciplinary team of researchers with complementary expertise. This paper highlights the challenges encountered in conducting this research and their impact on the design and implementation of the study, and provides lessons learned that may be useful to researchers responding to similar public health crises in the future.

Validation of a brief measure of combat exposure among Canadian Armed Forces personnel.

Background: Exposure to military combat is associated with mental health problems, including posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and depression. To understand the effects of combat on adverse health outcomes, the sound measurement of combat experiences is required; however, many scales used in past research are lengthy. A brief measure of combat exposure benefits militaries by reducing the burden on respondents as well as administration time in post-deployment settings and large population-based health surveys.

A longitudinal pilot study of resilience in Canadian military personnel.

Research on psychological resilience is important for occupations involving routine exposure to trauma or critical events. Such research can allow for the identification of factors to target in training, education and intervention programs, as well as groups that may be at higher risk for mental health problems. Although efforts have been made to determine the individual characteristics that contribute to positive outcomes under stress, little is known about whether such characteristics are stable over time or how stressful events can impact psychological resilience in high-risk occupations such as military service.

Longitudinal analysis of psychological resilience and mental health in Canadian military personnel returning from overseas deployment.

The relationship between exposure to combat stressors and poorer postdeployment health is well documented. Still, some individuals are more psychologically resilient to such outcomes than others. Researchers have sought to identify the factors that contribute to resilience in order to inform resilience-building interventions.

Psychological well-being of Canadian Forces officer candidates: the unique roles of hardiness and personality.

Previous research has found that individual characteristics play an important role in psychological wellbeing and perception of stress. Although the Five Factor Model of personality has been found to consistently predict psychological well-being in the general population and among military personnel, hardiness has also been found to be a predictor of well-being. This study examined the unique role of hardiness, above that of personality, in the well-being and stress perceptions of Canadian Forces officer candidates undergoing basic training.

Role of hardiness in the psychological well-being of Canadian Forces officer candidates.

Previous research has found that hardiness is associated with greater psychological well-being and lower levels of stress. This study examined the role of hardiness in the psychological well-being of military officer candidates undergoing basic training. Although most researchers have conceptualized hardiness as a global psychological construct, it is possible that military-specific hardiness, which pertains specifically to work experiences in the military environment, may be a more relevant measure.