RESUMO
The Master Resilience Training (MRT) course is the U.S. Army's resilience program of record to develop soldiers as resilience trainers within their home units. The Walter Reed Army Institute of Research (WRAIR) recently conducted an MRT Quality Improvement Evaluation (QIE) to understand perceptions of the MRT course, determine the effectiveness of the course, and provide revision recommendations for the next iteration of the course. Soldiers who were completing the MRT course were invited to take surveys and participate in interviews. Results from quantitative and qualitative data suggest that most participants felt satisfied with the training and that it was relevant for soldiers. Most participants also agreed that the training would help them become better soldiers and leaders. Along with positive feedback about the course, participants also identified areas that could be improved. Soldier feedback along with program evaluators' observation informed recommendations for improving the overall MRT course and its implementation. Program evaluators recommend MRT participants learn fewer and less complex skills, focus on coach education throughout the course, and highlight leader development by promoting motivation and enhancing effective communication. Program evaluators recommendations for ways to improve buy-in from leaders and graduated MRTs are also discussed.
RESUMO
ABSTRACT: Infectious disease outbreaks are uniquely stressful for essential employees. One way to support workers is for supervisors to engage in behaviors promoting employees' well-being and attitudes toward preventive medicine practices. We examined whether health-promoting leadership contributes to these outcomes in a population of active-duty soldiers (N = 173) deployed to provide nonmedical support in Liberia during the 2014 Ebola epidemic using data reported in Sipos, Kim, Thomas, and Adler (Mil Med 183[3-4]:e171-e178, 2018). Soldiers completed surveys assessing posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), depression, anxiety, sleep problems, burnout, morale, and attitudes and rated their leaders on health-promoting behaviors. Using mixed-effects logistic regression, health-promoting leadership focused on psychological health was associated with decreased odds of PTSD, depression, anxiety, and burnout, and increased odds of high morale and avoiding unnecessary risk. Health-promoting leadership focused on preventive medicine was associated with decreased odds of depression and anxiety, and increased odds of high morale, positive attitudes, and avoiding unnecessary risk. Findings suggest health-promoting leadership could be valuable for workers responding to epidemics.
