Development of character strengths across the deployment cycle among U.S. Army soldiers.

Objective: Despite a narrative of post-traumatic growth and resilience, research reliably demonstrating positive character development following adversity has proved elusive. In the current study, we examined changes in character strengths in Army soldiers deploying for the first time.

Method: The sample was comprised of 212,386 Army soldiers (M  = 26.

Association Between Predeployment Optimism and Onset of Postdeployment Pain in US Army Soldiers.

Importance: Pain after deployment is a major health care concern. While risk factors have been previously studied, few studies have explored protective factors.

Objective: To examine the prospective association between predeployment optimism and the onset of new pain after deployment in US Army soldiers.