ABSTRACT

Military occupational designations are standardized classifications that help define and convey a service member’s expected duties and responsibilities. The present study examined how occupational designation was related to adverse combat-reactions, specifically posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). It was hypothesized that at comparable levels of combat, non-combat units would display greater symptomology than combat units. The study sample consisted of 785 combat-deployed, active-duty enlisted US Army personnel. Participants were administered self-report questionnaires, including the Combat Experiences Scale and PTSD Checklist for DSM-5. Occupation was coded using the three-branch system (i.e., Operations, Support, & Force Sustainment). Hierarchical multiple linear regression (MLR) was run to examine the effect of occupation, combat, and unit cohesion on PTSD symptoms. Operations units reported the highest frequency of combat exposure; however, Force Sustainment units displayed the highest PTSD symptoms. In MLR analysis, there was a significant interaction between Force Sustainment units and combat exposure (β = 0.10, p = .019), that was not observed in Operations or Support units. These findings demonstrate that PTSD symptom intensity is not solely a function of combat exposure, and that non-combat units may react differently when exposed to elevated levels of combat.

摘要

军事职业名称是标准化的分类，有助于定义和传达服务人员的预期职责。本研究研究了职业指定与不良战斗反应，特别是创伤后应激障碍（PTSD）的关系。据推测，在战斗水平相当的情况下，非战斗部队比战斗部队表现出更大的症状。该研究样本包括785名经过战斗部署，现役的美国陆军人员。参与者接受自我报告调查表，包括“战斗经验量表”和“ DSM-5的PTSD检查表”。使用三分支系统（即操作，支持和部队维持）对职业进行编码。进行了多层多元线性回归（MLR），以检验占领，战斗，和单位凝聚力对PTSD症状。行动单位报告了战斗暴露的最高频率；但是，部队维持部队表现出最高的PTSD症状。在MLR分析中，部队维持部队与作战暴露之间存在重大互动（β  = 0.10，p = .019），这在运营或支持单位中未观察到。这些发现表明，PTSD症状强度不仅是战斗暴露的函数，而且非战斗单位在暴露于高水平的战斗中时可能会有不同的反应。