ABSTRACT

The US Air Force remote warrior community comprises several career fields including remotely piloted aircraft pilots and intelligence, cyber, and sensor operators. The crews are responsible for working seamlessly together to provide 24/7 real-time intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance and precision-strike weapons capabilities for a wide range of global combat operations. Due to the rapid increase in global demands and operational tempo, there is growing concern from military leadership about the impact of operational stress on the health and psychological well-being of remote warriors. Previous assessments from 2011 and 2015 have demonstrated a significant increase in the reported rates of operators experiencing suicide ideation. The current study examined two protective factors expected to reduce the risk of suicide ideation – team member social support and leader social support. A total of 905 active duty remote warriors participated in occupational health assessments conducted in 2018. Risk factors for suicide ideation included being unmarried, worsening relationship problems, occupational burnout, and increased operational stress. Results indicated that team member and leader social support were significant protective factors for shift workers and those who reported being less likely to seek mental healthcare. Implications of the findings, intervention recommendations, and directions for future research are discussed.

摘要

美国空军远程战士社区包括多个职业领域，包括遥控飞机飞行员和情报、网络和传感器操作员。机组人员负责无缝协作，为广泛的全球作战行动提供 24/7 实时情报、监视、侦察和精确打击武器能力。由于全球需求和作战节奏的迅速增加，军事领导层越来越担心作战压力对远程战士的健康和心理健康的影响。2011 年和 2015 年的先前评估表明，报告的经营者出现自杀意念的比率显着增加。目前的研究检查了两个有望降低自杀意念风险的保护因素——团队成员的社会支持和领导者的社会支持。共有 905 名现役远程战士参加了 2018 年进行的职业健康评估。自杀意念的风险因素包括未婚、关系问题恶化、职业倦怠和操作压力增加。结果表明，团队成员和领导者的社会支持是轮班工人和报告不太可能寻求心理保健的人的重要保护因素。讨论了研究结果的意义、干预建议和未来研究的方向。自杀意念的危险因素包括未婚、关系问题恶化、职业倦怠和经营压力增加。结果表明，团队成员和领导者的社会支持是轮班工人和报告不太可能寻求心理保健的人的重要保护因素。讨论了研究结果的意义、干预建议和未来研究的方向。自杀意念的危险因素包括未婚、关系问题恶化、职业倦怠和经营压力增加。结果表明，团队成员和领导者的社会支持是轮班工人和报告不太可能寻求心理保健的人的重要保护因素。讨论了研究结果的意义、干预建议和未来研究的方向。