Presenter Information

Courtney IsgettFollow

Keywords

posttraumatic stress disorder, depression, mental health, military, National Guard, service member, organizational commitment, military commitment

Select the category the research project fits.

Social Sciences/Humanities

Is this submission part of ICaP/PW (Introductory Composition at Purdue/Professional Writing)?

No

Abstract

Military deployments can impact the psychological functioning of service members, sometimes resulting in comorbid diagnoses of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and depression, which could have ramifications for service members’ commitment to the military. Additionally, the multitude of unique experiences facing National Guard members, such as social isolation and transitions within civilian employment, can have significant impacts on mental health. The goal of this study was to examine the effects of PTSD and depressive symptomology on commitment to military service. We addressed this goal using data from 129 National Guard service members three months (Time 1) and eight-months (Time 2) following deployment. We used three organizational commitment scales to measure service members’ commitment to their military job: affective commitment (the “want” to continue), continuance commitment (the “need” to continue), and normative commitment (the “ought” to continue). Multiple regression analyses tested whether mental health symptomology significantly predicted different aspects of service members’ commitment to the military. We found that Time 1 PTSD symptomology significantly predicted Time 2 continuance commitment (β=.22, p<.05), but dropped from significance when we controlled for Time 1 continuance commitment. We did not find a significant association between Time 1 PTSD symptomology and Time 2 affective commitment. The association between Time 1 PTSD symptomology and Time 2 normative commitment also was not significant. Furthermore, there was no significant association between Time 1 depressive symptoms and the three types of commitment at Time 2. Our results indicate that the “need” to continue service in the military when PTSD symptomology is present might demonstrate the influence of financial and medical benefits within the military.

Share

COinS
 

The Effects of Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and Depressive Symptomology on National Guard Service Member Commitment

Military deployments can impact the psychological functioning of service members, sometimes resulting in comorbid diagnoses of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and depression, which could have ramifications for service members’ commitment to the military. Additionally, the multitude of unique experiences facing National Guard members, such as social isolation and transitions within civilian employment, can have significant impacts on mental health. The goal of this study was to examine the effects of PTSD and depressive symptomology on commitment to military service. We addressed this goal using data from 129 National Guard service members three months (Time 1) and eight-months (Time 2) following deployment. We used three organizational commitment scales to measure service members’ commitment to their military job: affective commitment (the “want” to continue), continuance commitment (the “need” to continue), and normative commitment (the “ought” to continue). Multiple regression analyses tested whether mental health symptomology significantly predicted different aspects of service members’ commitment to the military. We found that Time 1 PTSD symptomology significantly predicted Time 2 continuance commitment (β=.22, p<.05), but dropped from significance when we controlled for Time 1 continuance commitment. We did not find a significant association between Time 1 PTSD symptomology and Time 2 affective commitment. The association between Time 1 PTSD symptomology and Time 2 normative commitment also was not significant. Furthermore, there was no significant association between Time 1 depressive symptoms and the three types of commitment at Time 2. Our results indicate that the “need” to continue service in the military when PTSD symptomology is present might demonstrate the influence of financial and medical benefits within the military.