Officer Resilience Scale: Resources, Measurement and Gender Differences among Israel Defense Force Cadets

Abstract

The goal of this study was to develop a gender-sensitive resilience scale for screening combat-support officers. This was achieved by investigating the factor structure of resilience in both male and female personnel. Participants were 1467 combat-support personnel who underwent psychological evaluation at the Israel Defense Force (IDF) Officer Selection Center (OSC) and attended Officer Training School (OTS). Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA) was used to analyze multiple resilience scales. EFA bore two factors: Self-efficacy (SE) and social support (SS). Construct validity for SE and SS was demonstrated against IDF’s Officer Personality Inventory (OPI) of Big Five dimensions, Anticipated Military Stress Scale (AMS-S) and Psychological Evaluation Scores (PES). Analysis of gender differences indicated higher SS scores for women than for men while no differences were found in SE scores. Discussion of these findings focuses on gender-related socialization. In men, PES were more strongly associated with SS than SE; in women, PES were more strongly associated with SE than SS. Discussion of these findings focuses on how psychologist evaluators may view resilience needs differently in male vs. female officers. This study furthers understanding of gender-related differences in the military setting. The new resilience scale enables more inclusive military personnel selection.