Traumatology, Vol 28(4), Dec 2022, 441-444; doi:10.1037/trm0000355
Research suggests that military personnel are more resilient than civilians, but there are few studies on why this may be. Resilience may be a function of simply being a soldier (e.g., via selection or training) or may be a result of surviving traumatic experiences inherent in the job. However, there is little research into the degree to which military status and trauma exposure influence resilience. In this study, we address this by examining the effects of military service membership and trauma exposure on resilience in a sample of military personnel and civilian adults (N = 252). Results indicated that those who were either military members or endorsed trauma exposure were on average more resilient than those who did not. However, whereas trauma exposure increased the resilience of civilians, it contributed only minimally to military personnel’s resilience. In effect, civilians exposed to trauma “caught up” to soldiers with respect to resilience. These findings are consistent with previous research suggesting that military personnel are on average more resilient than civilians, with the caveat that civilians who survive trauma have the potential to be just as a resilient. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved)