Resilience to Traumatic Exposure Among Soldiers Deployed in Combat

Schaubroeck, John M.
Riolli, Laura T.
Peng, Ann Chunyan
Spain, Everett S.

¹Department of Psychology and Eli Broad Graduate School of Management, Michigan State University
²California State University- Sacramento
³Michigan State University
⁴United States Army, Schweinfurt, Germany

John M. Schaubroeck, Michigan State University, Department of Psychology, Psychology Building, East Lansing, MI 48824-1117 [email protected]

Submission February 3, 2010. Revision July 7, 2010. Accepted July 13, 2010.

Journal of Occupational Health Psychology 16(1):p 18-37, January 2011. | DOI: 10.1037/a0021006

We examined the influence of positive psychological capital (PsyCap), a metaconstruct that combines established psychological predispositions to be resilient to stress, on the well-being of soldiers during combat deployment. Among U.S. Army personnel deployed in Iraq, cognitive appraisal of stress mediated the effects of trait PsyCap on health symptoms. The indirect effects through appraisal were moderated by levels of exposure to potentially traumatic stimuli. Trait PsyCap covaried more strongly with cognitive appraisals, and had stronger indirect effects through appraisal on health, among soldiers in units with higher levels of potentially traumatic exposures. We discuss implications for research on resilience to trauma in the workplace and for helping workers cope with potentially traumatic exposures.