Unit Cohesion Research Articles

Prevalence, Correlates, and Predictors of Insomnia in the US Army prior to Deployment.

To determine the prevalence, correlates, and predictors of insomnia in US Army personnel prior to deployment. Cross-sectional cohort design assessing insomnia and other psychosocial variables in active duty service members (n = 4,101), at Fort Hood, Texas, prior to military deployment. Insomnia was defined as an Insomnia Severity Index ≥ 15. The prevalence of insomnia was 19.9%. Enlisted personnel were five times more likely to report insomnia than officers (odds ratio [OR] = 5.17). Insomnia was higher among American Indian/Alaskan Natives than other groups (ORs = 1.86-2.85). Those in the Insomnia Group were older, had longer military careers, and reported more marriages, children, and military deployments (ds = 0.13-0.34) than the No Insomnia group. The Insomnia Group reported more severe mental health symptoms, more recent stressful life events, greater childhood abuse, and lower levels of trait resilience, social support, and unit cohesion (Cohen ds = 0.27-1.29). After controlling for covariates, the Insomnia Group was more likely to have a history of head injuries and clinically significant posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), anxiety, depression, alcohol use problems, back pain, extremity pain, headaches, and fatigue (ORs = 1.40-3.30). A simultaneous logistic regression found that greater PTSD, depression, fatigue, stressful life events, headaches, anxiety, alcohol use problems, extremity pain, history of head injury, childhood physical neglect, back pain, number of times married, and lower leader support/unit cohesion and tangible social support were statistically significant predictors of insomnia status. Insomnia occurs in about one of five service members prior to a military deployment and is associated with a wide array of psychosocial stressors and mental and physical health problems.

Within-unit relationship quality mediates the association between military sexual trauma and posttraumatic stress symptoms in veterans separating from military service.

Few studies have examined the impact of military sexual trauma (MST) on social functioning during deployment. Yet consideration of unit relationships during deployment may be important, given that military unit cohesion and support can provide protective effects against the stress of combat, and reduce the likelihood of developing posttraumatic stress disorder. Although prior research has posited that depleted social resources are one pathway through which MST is associated with posttraumatic stress symptoms (PTSS), no studies have statistically tested this theory. This study examined the association of MST and PTSS and evaluated the potential mediating role of decreased unit relationship quality. Mediational analyses were conducted on a sample of veterans following discharge from military service (N = 818; 328 women, 490 men). Women were significantly more likely to experience MST than men. As hypothesized, experiences of MST during deployment were associated with higher PTSS. MST experiences were associated with less trust in and support from one's military unit, which partially mediated the association between MST and PTSS. The indirect effect of MST on PTSS through lower unit relationship quality accounted for 20.4% of the total effect of MST on PTSS. While the retrospective study design precludes tests of causality, mediational findings provided statistical evidence that lower unit relationship quality partially explains the association between MST and PTSS. This finding is consistent with interpersonal theories of trauma response suggesting that the deleterious effects of MST may be in part due to its erosion of social resources during deployment. (PsycINFO Database Record

A Status-Based Multilevel Model of Ethnic Diversity and Work Unit Performance

The present research builds theory regarding the consequences of work unit ethnic diversity by advancing a status-based, multilevel model of when ethnic diversity is likely to constrain work unit performance. In contrast to past work unit diversity research, which has largely ignored the varying degrees of status ascribed to members of different ethnic groups, I propose that ethnic diversity is most likely to constrain work unit cohesion, and in turn work unit performance, in work units composed of two ethnic subgroups that are separated by large differences in status (i.e., ethnic status subgroups; ESS). Furthermore, and consistent with evidence that the consequences of work unit diversity are contingent on the broader social contexts in which work units are embedded, I predict that the presence of ethnic status subgroups in the community exacerbates the detrimental consequences of ethnic status subgroups in work units. Findings from a multisource, field-based data set ( N = 743 employees nested within 131 bank branches) support the study hypotheses. Implications for theory and practice are discussed.

Medical surgical nurses describe missed nursing care tasks—Evaluating our work environment

PurposeThe purpose of the study was to explore the nurse work environment by evaluating the self-report of missed nursing care and the reasons for the missed care. MethodsA convenience sample of medical surgical nurses from four hospitals was invited to complete the survey for this descriptive study. The sample included 168 nurses. The MISSCARE survey assessed the frequency and reason of 24 routine nursing care elements. ResultsThe most frequently reported missed care was ambulation as ordered, medications given within a 30 minute window, and mouth care. Moderate or significant reasons reported for the missed care were: unexpected rise in volume/acuity, heavy admissions/discharges, inadequate assistants, inadequate staff, meds not available when needed, and urgent situations. ConclusionIdentifying missed nursing care and reasons for missed care provides an opportunity for exploring strategies to reduce interruptions, develop unit cohesiveness, improve the nurse work environment, and ultimately leading to improved patient outcomes.

Static and seismic active lateral earth pressure coefficients for c-ϕ soils

In this paper, the active lateral earth pressure is evaluated using the stress characteristics or slip line method. The lateral earth pressure is expressed as the lateral earth pressure coefficients due to the surcharge, the unit weight and cohesion of the backfill soil. Seismic horizontal and vertical pseudo-static coefficients are used to consider the seismic effects. The equilibrium equations along the characteristics lines are solved by the finite difference method. The slope of the ground surface, the wall angle and the adhesion and friction angle of the soil-wall interface are also considered in the analysis. A computer code is provided for the analysis. The code is capable of solving the characteristics network, determining active lateral earth pressure distribution and calculating active lateral earth pressure coefficients. Closed-form solutions are provided for the lateral earth pressure coefficients due to the surcharge and cohesion. The results of this study have a good agreement with other reported results. The effects of the geometry of the retaining wall, the soil and soil-wall interface parameters are evaluated. Non-dimensional graphs are presented for the active lateral earth pressure coefficients.

Unit Cohesion, Resilience, and Mental Health of Soldiers in Basic Combat Training

Military unit cohesion has been shown to correlate with physical and psychological outcomes. However, little is known about the development of cohesion in the early days of military service during Basic Combat Training (BCT) and how it relates to positive support and the negative stressors of training. The current study assessed the development of unit cohesion across the 10-week BCT period (N = 1,939), and the relation of cohesion to stress, resilience, mental health measures, and BCT outcomes (graduation, passing the Army Physical Fitness Test, and final Basic Rifle Marksmanship scores). The sample was primarily male (62%), under age 25 (88%), and unmarried (88%). All putative mediators showed significant change over time. Unit cohesion increased over time (slope 0.22; p < .001), and these increases were associated with decreases in psychological distress (p < .001), sleep problems (p < .001), and tolerance of BCT stressors (p < .001), as well as increases in resilience (p < .001), confidence managing stress reactions (p < .001), and positive states of mind (p < .001). Unit cohesion was indirectly associated with successful graduation and passing the Army Physical Fitness Test through cohesion-related improvement in psychological distress, resilience, and confidence managing reactions to stress. Sleep problems also mediated BCT graduation. Cohesion effects on the Basic Rifle Marksmanship scores were mediated by psychological distress and tolerance of BCT stressors only. These results suggest that unit cohesion may play a key role in the development of psychological health among new soldiers.

Critical geometric parameters of slope and their sensitivity analysis: a case study in Jilin, Northeast China

An excessively high or steep slope is one of the main causes of slope instability. This research examined the slope of the waste dump of a limestone mine in Wangqing County of northeast China’s Jilin Province. Support vector regression (SVR) and a radial basis function neural network (RBFNN) were used to train and test 76 groups of collected data, and the mean absolute error (MAE), mean absolute percentage error (MAPE), and root mean square error (RMSE) values indicated that the SVR model is better than the RBFNN model. Then, 12 × 17 combinations of angles and heights for the waste dump slope were designed, and used SVR to define β cr and H cr by predicting the factor of safety (FS) under different conditions. The results demonstrated that the SVR method can be used to calculate β cr and H cr accurately. Moreover, the effects of the parameters on FS and β cr and H cr were analyzed by sensitivity analysis. The sensitivity analysis results showed that the internal friction angle (φ) is the most effective parameter acting on β cr and H cr , followed by the unit weight (γ) and cohesion (c). Furthermore, H cr is more sensitive to γ, c, and φ than β cr . These results could be useful and convenient for engineers involved in slope design and management.

Policing Ethnicity: Lab-in-the-Field Evidence on Discrimination, Cooperation and Ethnic Balancing in the Liberian National Police

Peace agreements often include provisions for integrating minority ethnic groups into security sector institutions. Advocates argue that “ethnic balancing” reduces discrimination; opponents counter that it erodes unit cohesion. We test these predictions against each other using surveys and lab-in-the-field experiments implemented with teams of Liberian National Police officers. We find that teams that include minority police officers are no more or less cooperative than those that do not, and that heterogeneous teams are no more or less cooperative than homogeneous ones. We also find, however, that teams with minority police officers are more rather than less discriminatory against minority civilians -- a substantively large and highly statistically significant adverse effect. We show that this effect is not driven by heterogeneity, but rather by the presence of minority police officers per se. We explore potential mechanisms and provide reasons for both optimism and caution towards ethnic balancing in deeply divided societies.

Unit cohesion, traumatic exposure and mental health of military personnel.

The benefit of military unit cohesion to morale and psychological resilience is well established. But it remains unclear whether unit cohesion modifies the association between deployment-related traumatic exposure and mental health problems. To examine the association between unit cohesion, traumatic exposure and poor mental health [symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), psychological distress and alcohol dependency] and assess whether the relationship between traumatic exposure and poor mental health differs by level of unit cohesion. A self-reported cross-sectional survey of Australian military personnel deployed to Iraq or Afghanistan between 2001 and 2009. Among 11411 participants, those with low levels of unit cohesion had higher odds of PTSD symptoms [aOR (95% CI): 2.54 (1.88, 3.42)], very high psychological distress [aOR (95% CI): 4.28 (3.04, 6.02)] and a high level of alcohol problems [aOR (95% CI): 1.71 (1.32, 2.22)] compared with those reporting high unit cohesion on deployment. Higher exposure to traumatic events on deployment was associated with greater risk of PTSD symptoms, very high levels of psychological distress and high levels of alcohol problems in this cohort. However, there was no evidence of a statistically significant interaction between unit cohesion and traumatic exposures in influencing poor mental health. Our findings suggest that both unit cohesion and traumatic exposure are independently associated with poor mental health. Efforts to improve military unit cohesion may help to improve the mental health resilience of military personnel, regardless of their level of traumatic exposure.

Mid-course correction: ‘Don’t ask, don’t tell’ and Stargate SG-1 femslash

Abstract This article explores Stargate SG-1 (1997–2007, SciFi) fanfiction responses to the ‘don’t ask, don’t tell’ (DADT) policy of the United States Department of Defense. It examines 58 examples of femslash that depict a same-sex relationship between char- acters Samantha Carter and Janet Fraiser. It suggests that this fanfiction mirrors the evolving public debates regarding lesbians and gays in the military and critiques DADT in two ways. First, the femslash demonstrates that the television show repre- sents a realistic version of conditions under DADT. The second approach uses the science fiction elements of the series to critically comment on the assumptions behind DADT, such as unit cohesion based on compulsory heterosexuality. Sam/Janet femslash insists on the possibility of a valid lesbian existence within the US military and beyond.

Forced to Fight: Coercion, Blocking Detachments, and Tradeoffs in Military Effectiveness

Our theories of soldier motivation have largely overlooked the role that coercion plays in manufacturing and maintaining unit cohesion. Yet nearly 20% of all belligerents in wars since 1800 have deployed specialized units designed to monitor and sanction their own soldiers violently. Despite the widespread nature of these detachments, however, we have neither a systematic treatment of their tactical and operational effects nor of the tradeoffs associated with their battlefield use. This paper draws on new crossnational data and a case study of Soviet practices at Stalingrad and Kursk to explore four tradeoffs stemming from the use of blocking detachments. In brief, these detachments can bolster a military's staying power, but at the cost of sharply increasing casualties and worsening loss-exchange ratios. In keeping with the volume's intent, the paper concludes with a broader discussion of these tradeoffs at the war-fighting and political levels before proposing additional avenues of research on coercion and soldier motivation.

Job Analysis of United States Air Force Military Training Instructor Duty: Identification of Screening Criteria for Instructor Candidate Suitability

Initial military training-instructor duty places noncommissioned officers (NCOs) in a critical position of trust to safely, effectively train and transition recruits into military service. In this context, ineffective or inappropriate behavior by instructors has been shown to impact trainee mental health, unit cohesion, and integration (Foran & Adler, 2013). Abuse of power, specifically exploitative and criminally and sexually abusive behavior by even a small number of instructors, as occurred in United States Air Force (USAF) basic military training (BMT) between 2010 and 2012, may result in a broad loss of public trust. Assessment of suitability for these duties is not consistently pursued across military services, with scant empirical work to best target what is necessary for safe, effective service as a BMT instructor. This article describes 3 job-analytic studies conducted to identify criteria for screening NCOs for USAF military training-instructor duty, as well as planned methods for evaluation.

Factors associated with low unit cohesion in Australian Defence Force members who deployed to the Middle East (2001-2009).

IntroductionUnit cohesion has been shown to bolster the mental health of military personnel; hence, it is important to identify the characteristics that are associated with low unit cohesion, so that interventions to improve unit cohesion can be targeted and implemented. Little is known about the factors associated with low unit cohesion. This research aims to identify demographic, military service and deployment factors associated with low unit cohesion.MethodsData from a self-reported cross-sectional study of 11 411 current or ex-serving Australian military personnel deployed to Iraq or Afghanistan between 2001 and 2009 were used. Multivariable logistic regression was used to investigate the research aims.ResultsBeing female (adjusted OR (aOR) (95% CI) 1.35 (1.21 to 1.51)), non-commissioned officer (aOR (95% CI) 1.50 (1.39 to 1.62)), lower ranked (aOR (95% CI) 1.74 (1.51 to 2.01)) or having left military service (aOR (95% CI) 1.71 (1.46 to 2.02)) was associated with reporting low unit cohesion. Potentially modifiable factors such as performing logistic roles on deployment (aOR (95% CI) 1.13 (1.01 to 1.27)), dissatisfaction with work experience on deployment such as working with colleagues who did not do what was expected of them (aOR (95% CI) 4.09 (3.61 to 4.64)), and major problems at home while deployed (aOR (95% CI) 1.50 (1.38 to 1.63)) were also associated with reporting low unit cohesion.ConclusionsThis is the first study to identify demographic, military service and deployment factors associated with low unit cohesion. The modifiable nature of unit cohesion means that military leaders could use this information to identify subgroups for targeted resilience interventions that may reduce vulnerabilities to mental health problems and improve the job satisfaction, preparedness and deployment experiences of serving members.

Emancipation, the Union Army, and the Reelection of Abraham Lincoln by Jonathan W. White (review)

Reviewed by: Emancipation, the Union Army, and the Reelection of Abraham Lincoln by Jonathan W. White Glenn David Brasher (bio) Emancipation, the Union Army, and the Reelection of Abraham Lincoln. By Jonathan W. White. (Baton Rouge: Louisiana State University Press, 2014. Pp. 275. $39.95 cloth) Jonathan W. White impressively challenges works by James McPherson, Jennifer Weber, and especially Chandra Manning, insisting that although 78 percent of Union soldiers voted for Lincoln in 1864 it does not necessarily indicate overwhelming support for emancipation. White’s thesis is clear and concise, forcefully argued, [End Page 750] and lacks the annoying jargon that could have marred such a work. Yet he sometimes supports his argument with speculation and a debatable use of primary sources, tending to raise more questions than intended. White insists that military officials and the Lincoln administration suppressed anti-emancipation sentiment in the army. They did so with a combination of summary dismissals, public punishments, the withholding of promotions, and courts-martial designed to intimidate soldiers who openly opposed emancipation. Further, when officers resigned in protest of the Emancipation Proclamation, officials harshly punished them. White also argues that emancipation increased desertions and considerably limited reenlistments. Thus, by the election of 1864 soldiers who promoted Democratic or anti-Lincoln sentiments were largely gone or had been intimidated into acquiescence. Further, White maintains many of those who did remain either refused to vote or did so mainly against the Democratic peace platform rather than for Lincoln’s emancipation agenda. White builds his intriguing argument on impressively extensive research. His large array of soldier diaries, letters, and memoirs provide considerable (yet selective) support. The court-martial records are his most unique sources, but almost all of the cases he presents involved soldiers accused of making threats directed at Lincoln and/or of saying that they intended to either support or join the Confederate army. It seems evident that the army punished them for these sentiments more than for their anti-emancipation utterances. Further, before his discussion of the election itself, White’s anti-emancipation soldiers seem to have come slightly disproportionally from the western armies. The Lincoln administration insisted that emancipation was a military necessity, but because of their success in the field, western soldiers were probably less likely to believe that freeing the slaves was required to win the war (especially those of midwestern background). Admittedly, an analysis of the differences between the sentiments of the eastern and western armies might be a bit outside the scope of White’s work, but it may be time for scholars [End Page 751] to stop viewing the different Union armies as monolithic. The work raises other questions. Was there a significant drop in dismissals and courts-martial for “disloyalty” after the election, or did they continue unabated? The answer would seemingly either strengthen or weaken White’s argument. If soldiers were forced out of the army, is it not logical to assume that they would go home and become more vocally anti-Lincoln and would then still cast a Democratic vote? Chasing them from the ranks would not necessarily negate their vote, so one has to wonder if it were more likely that these efforts were mainly an attempt to stop soldiers from criticizing military authority (obviously something the military cannot tolerate) and to encourage unit cohesiveness. Yet White insists that these purges were meant to intimidate other soldiers into voting Republican, but here he has to rely heavily on anecdotal evidence and sometimes mere speculation. His argument that much of the Lincoln vote was more a reflection of anti–peace Democrat sentiment than of pro-emancipation sentiment is his most convincing, but the controversial elements of the book tend to overwhelm it. All this is not to say that White’s work is meritless. Quite the contrary, his provocative thesis and impressive research provides a powerful challenge to the orthodoxy that has emerged in regards to Lincoln’s reelection, and thus future works in the historiography will need to address it. Clearly, White’s anti-emancipationist soldiers were a significant presence in the Union army, and he has done much to cause scholars to view the 1864 soldier vote in a new...

The mental health of deployed UK maritime forces

ObjectivesTo establish the level of psychological symptoms and the risk factors for possible decreased mental health among deployed UK maritime forces.MethodsA survey was completed by deployed Royal Navy (RN) personnel...

Blitzkrieg reconsidered? Assessing the importance of morale and unit cohesion in the 2008 Russia–Georgia war

The formal model of modern-system force employment developed in Stephen Biddle (2004) book, Military Power, is a standard text in the defense analysis field but has rarely been applied to analyze battlefield outcomes. The 2008 Five-Day War between Russia and the Republic of Georgia provides a compelling case study for empirical testing. The outcome of the conflict reveals an inconsistency between the theoretical model and the actual results, suggesting that technical and tactical force employment variables alone may not be sufficient to explain battlefield dynamics, and that the effects of psychological shock on unit morale and cohesion may constrain how well a military force can perform even while adhering to modern-system doctrine.

Cross (Unit)-Level Effects of Cohesion on Relationships of Suicide Thoughts to Combat Exposure, Postdeployment Stressors, and Postdeployment Social Support

A behavioral health concern for the US military has been suicide, largely due to its increased prevalence in the last several years during US involvement in the Iraq and Afghanistan wars. Using hierarchical linear modeling (HLM), the present study examined relationships among combat exposure, postdeployment stressors, social support, and unit cohesion. Survey data were obtained from 4,567 soldiers who were members of 50 company-sized units. At the individual level, combat exposure and postdeployment stressors were associated with suicidal thoughts. Postdeployment social support was associated with fewer suicidal thoughts. There was no evidence of the stress-buffering effect of social support. At the group level, reduced risk for suicidal thoughts was associated with units having higher than average cohesion. Reduced risk for suicidal thoughts in conjunction with combat experiences was observed in units having higher than average cohesion, though not reaching a traditional level of statistical significance.

Pseudo-Dynamic Bearing Capacity of Shallow Strip Footing Resting on c-Φ Soil Considering Composite Failure Surface

The evaluation of bearing capacity of shallow strip footing under seismic loading condition is an important phenomenon. This paper presents a pseudo-dynamic approach to evaluate the seismic bearing capacity of shallow strip footing resting on c-F soil using limit equilibrium method considering the composite failure mechanism. A single seismic bearing capacity coefficient (N?e) presents here for the simultaneous resistance of unit weight, surcharge and cohesion, which is more practical to simulate the failure mechanism. The effect of soil friction angle(F), soil cohesion(c), shear wave and primary wave velocity(Vs, Vp) and horizontal and vertical seismic accelerations(kh, kv) are taken into account to evaluate the seismic bearing capacity of foundation. The results obtained from the present analysis are presented in both tabular and graphical non-dimensional form. Results are thoroughly compared with the existing values in the literature and the significance of the present methodology for designing the shallow strip footing is discussed.

A Study on Mineralogical and Basic Mechanical Properties of Fault Gouges in 16 Faults, Korea

Because fault gouge developed at the center of fault is recognized as one of the most important weak sites, it is evident that clay mineralogy and physical properties greatly affect the rock stability. The purpose of this study is to establish the relationship of mineralogy and physical factors that control rock stability in fault zones. We analyzed a total of 51 samples from 16 main faults which were selected from a Korea fracture map, using XRD, SEM, and physical analyses like unit weight, friction and cohesion properties. Though it is considered that the most common clay minerals comprising fault gouge are kaolinite, illite and smectite, clay mineralogy slightly varies depending on lithology: illite > smectite > kaolinite and chlorite in volcanic rocks, kaolinite and chlorite > illite > smectite in sedimentary rocks, and illite > smectite > kaolinite and chlorite in abundance, respectively. Friction angle decreases with increasing clay content. Cohesion increases with increasing clay content below the 45 % region while it decreases with increasing clay content at the region higher than 45%, with some scatters in the data. It is likely that these results are ascribed to the physical heterogeneity of fault gouges with varying content of different clay minerals.

Why Do Indian Military Officers Want to Leave? An Empirical Investigation

Armed forces form the lifeblood of any nation, and morale of its officers is the key to effective defense of the country’s borders. Yet, most militaries, and so does Indian, suffer from a relatively high rate of churn of officers that has adverse effects. Turnover is detrimental to any organization, and it is particularly undesirable for armed forces, as it affects unit cohesion and operational preparedness, thus proving to be chronic problem that demands attention. With this aim, we investigate the factors that are instrumental in influencing the propensity of military officers to leave. A survey of 476 Indian military officers, followed by a rigorous empirical analysis, revealed the pay, promotion, and job satisfaction to be the prime perpetrators for the intention of military officers to leave. Our work is a step in the direction of stemming the attrition and improving the retention of officers in the Indian military.