ABSTRACT

Leader support for psychological health (LSPH) has been identified as an important factor in the prediction of mental health symptoms among warfighters. Although research has examined the relationship between LSPH and mental health symptoms, the extent to which this relationship is bidirectional has been underexplored. Consequently, the present study examined the longitudinal relationships between perceived LSPH and mental health symptoms (depression and PTSD) among military personnel over a 5-month period. We found that perceived LSPH at Time 1 (T1) was associated with fewer mental health symptoms at Time 2 (T2); however, mental health symptoms at T1 were also associated with lower perceptions of LSPH at T2. The results differed slightly based on the type of symptoms experienced, but the relationships between perceived LSPH and symptoms did not vary based on whether soldiers had been exposed to combat. However, it is important to note that the overall sample had low combat experience. Despite this, these findings may suggest that the assumption that leader support can enhance soldier mental health may fail to consider that the symptoms themselves may also affect how leaders are perceived. Therefore, organizations such as the military should consider both directions to optimally understand the relationship between leaders and subordinate mental health.

摘要

领导者对心理健康的支持（LSPH）已被确定为预测作战人员心理健康症状的重要因素。尽管研究已经检验了 LSPH 与心理健康症状之间的关系，但这种关系的双向程度尚未得到充分探索。因此，本研究调查了军事人员在 5 个月内感知的 LSPH 与心理健康症状（抑郁和 PTSD）之间的纵向关系。我们发现，在时间 1 (T1) 感知的 LSPH 与在时间 2 (T2) 较少的心理健康症状相关；然而，T1 时的心理健康症状也与 T2 时对 LSPH 的较低认知有关。根据所经历的症状类型，结果略有不同，但感知到的 LSPH 与症状之间的关系并不因士兵是否经历过战斗而变化。然而，值得注意的是，总体样本的战斗经验较低。尽管如此，这些发现可能表明，领导者支持可​​以增强士兵心理健康的假设可能没有考虑到症状本身也可能影响对领导者的看法。因此，军队等组织应该考虑两个方向，以最佳地理解领导者与下属心理健康之间的关系。这些研究结果可能表明，领导者支持可​​以增强士兵心理健康的假设可能没有考虑到症状本身也可能影响对领导者的看法。因此，军队等组织应该考虑两个方向，以最佳地理解领导者与下属心理健康之间的关系。这些研究结果可能表明，领导者支持可​​以增强士兵心理健康的假设可能没有考虑到症状本身也可能影响对领导者的看法。因此，军队等组织应该考虑两个方向，以最佳地理解领导者与下属心理健康之间的关系。