Role of modifiable organisational factors in decreasing barriers to mental healthcare: a longitudinal study of mission meaningfulness, team relatedness and leadership trust among Canadian military personnel deployed on Operation LASER.

Objectives: The literature presents complex inter-relationships among individual-factors and organisational-factors and barriers to seeking mental health support after deployment. This study aims to quantify longitudinal associations between such factors and barriers to mental health support.

Design: A longitudinal online survey of Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) personnel collected data at 3 months post-deployment (T1), 6 months post-deployment (T2) and 1 year post-deployment (T3).

Moral Distress, Mental Health, and Risk and Resilience Factors Among Military Personnel Deployed to Long-Term Care Facilities During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Research Protocol and Participation Metrics.

Background: The earliest days of the COVID-19 pandemic in Canada were marked by a significant surge in COVID-19 cases and COVID-19-related deaths among residents of long-term care facilities (LTCFs). As part of Canada's response to the COVID-19 pandemic, Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) personnel were mobilized for an initial emergency domestic deployment to the hardest-hit LTCFs (Operation LASER LTCF) to support the remaining civilian staff in ensuring the continued delivery of care to residents. Akin to what was observed following past CAF international humanitarian missions, there was an expected increased risk of exposure to multiple stressors that may be psychologically traumatic and potentially morally injurious in nature (ie, related to core values, eg, witnessing human suffering).

Recommendations for follow-up care during post-deployment screening of Canadian Armed Forces personnel: how well does self-reported mental health predict referral decisions?

Objective: Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) post-deployment screening aims to facilitate early care for members with mental health issues. The process consists of a questionnaire to screen for mental health problems, followed by an interview with a healthcare provider during which recommendations for follow-up care are provided if needed. In this study, we examined the association of self-reported mental health from the screening questionnaire with recommendation for follow-up care during the interview.

Calibrating the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test-Consumption (AUDIT-C) for detecting alcohol-related problems among Canadian, UK and US soldiers: cross-sectional pre-deployment and post-deployment survey results.

Objectives: Excessive alcohol use can bring about adverse health and work-related consequences in civilian and military populations. Screening for excessive drinking can help identify individuals at risk for alcohol-related problems who may require clinical interventions. The brief validated measures of alcohol use such as the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT), or abbreviated AUDIT-Consumption (AUDIT-C), are often included in military deployment screening and epidemiologic surveys, but appropriate cut-points must be used to effectively identify individuals at risk.

Factor structure of the parent-rated strengths and difficulties questionnaire in a sample of Canadian children from military families.

The Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire is a 25-item screening tool designed to measure the emotional and behavioral well-being of children. It includes five subscales including Emotional Symptoms, Conduct Problems, Peer Problems, Hyperactivity-Inattention and Prosocial Behavior. While the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire has been studied extensively on a global scale, it has not yet been evaluated among Canadian children from military families.

Prevalence and Correlates of Military Sexual Trauma in Service Members and Veterans: Results From the 2018 Canadian Armed Forces Members and Veterans Mental Health Follow-up Survey.

Introduction: Military sexual trauma (MST) is an ongoing problem. We used a 2002 population-based sample, followed up in 2018, to examine: (1) the prevalence of MST and non-MST in male and female currently serving members and veterans of the Canadian Armed Forces, and (2) demographic and military correlates of MST and non-MST.

Methods: Data came from the 2018 Canadian Armed Forces Members and Veterans Mental Health Follow-up Survey (n = 2,941, ages 33 years + ).

Predictors of self-reported health and psychological distress among recently released Canadian Armed Forces Veterans.

Recent research has found that, while the majority of Veterans report a positive adjustment to post-service life, the number who report experiencing transition difficulties is increasing. This study aims to describe some of the predictors of general health, mental health, and psychological distress, with a focus on recently released Canadian Armed Forces Veterans. Analysis was performed on a sample of Veterans (N=909) who released in the past five years.

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 the Patient Health Questionnaire-2 to screen for depression in Canadian Armed Forces personnel.

Post-deployment screening within the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) aims to capture those with mental health issues so that appropriate and timely treatment can be provided. However, the process is lengthy and places considerable burden on CAF members and clinicians. Evaluation of shorter measures of mental health is an important step toward reducing the length of the process while still capturing those in need of care.

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.

Pain in Canadian Veterans: analysis of data from the Survey on Transition to Civilian Life.

Background: Little is known about the prevalence of chronic pain among Veterans outside the United States.

Objective: To describe the prevalence of chronic pain and associated sociodemographic, health behaviour, employment⁄income, disability, and physical and mental health factors in Canadian Veterans.

Methods: The 2010 Survey on Transition to Civilian Life included a nationally representative sample of 3154 Canadian Armed Forces Regular Force Veterans released from service between 1998 and 2007.

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.

Postmilitary adjustment to civilian life: potential risks and protective factors.

Background: Adjustment to civilian life in Canadian veterans after release from military service has not been well studied.

Objectives: The objectives of this study were: (1) to explore dimensions of postmilitary adjustment to civilian life and (2) to identify demographic and military service characteristics associated with difficult adjustment.

Design: Data were analyzed from a national sample of 3,154 veterans released from the regular Canadian Forces during 1998 to 2007 in a cross-sectional survey conducted in 2010 called the Survey on Transition to Civilian Life.

Health-related quality of life of Canadian Forces veterans after transition to civilian life.

Objectives: Describe health-related quality of life (HRQoL) of former Canadian Forces (CF) men and women in uniform (Veterans) after transition to civilian life, and compare to age- and sex-adjusted Canadian norms.

Methods: The 2010 Survey on Transition to Civilian Life was a national computer-assisted telephone survey of CF Regular Force personnel who released during 1998-2007. HRQoL was assessed using the SF-12 Physical (PCS) and Mental (MCS) Component Summary scores.

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.

Influence of chronic interleukin-2 infusion and stressors on sickness behaviors and neurochemical change in mice.

Objectives: Major depression is associated with increased circulating interleukin-2 (IL-2) levels, and IL-2 immunotherapy may provoke depressive symptoms, leading to the suggestion that this cytokine may contribute to the evolution of affective disorders. Although depression is a relatively chronic condition, and immunotherapy involves repeated cytokine administration, animal studies have typically assessed the consequences of acute cytokine treatment. The present investigation assessed several behavioral and neurochemical effects of chronic IL-2 infusion.