Psychologists question Army resilience program
Army Comprehensive Soldier Fitness is a $125 million program that seeks to make troops as psychologically fit as possible.
But a group of psychologists says there’s no proof that the program — or similar resilience-building efforts in the other services — works.
Worse, say members of the Coalition for an Ethical Psychology, these programs could undermine coping mechanisms developed by troops who already successfully handle stress.
Created in 2008 to address alarming trends in soldier behavior, such as rising suicides, alcohol and drug abuse, and behavioral health problems, CSF is based on the teachings of Martin Seligman, a University of Pennsylvania professor and proponent of positive psychology. He says an optimistic outlook can affect all aspects of life and ward off anxiety and depression.
The training, and the program’s annual measurement test, the Global Assessment Tool, is mandatory for all soldiers. Since 2009, 8,000 officers and enlisted personnel have attended master resilience courses. They in turn teach CSF at the unit level.
The other services also offer some form of resilience training: The Navy and Marine Corps have the Combat Operation Stress Control initiative, and the Air Force is rolling out Comprehensive Airman Fitness, based on CSF.
But these programs are not as far-reaching as the Army-wide mandatory effort — and the “mandatory” part doesn’t sit well with critics.
“Two-thirds or more of us have developed a natural coping style. While some people may benefit from CSF training, it could be a setback for others, potentially pushing them to unlearn what has worked for them,” said Roy Eidelson, co-author of the report, “The Dark Side of Comprehensive Soldier Fitness.”
In a December CSF assessment, the Army said it has scientific proof based on the Global Assessment Tool that the program improves resilience and psychological health.
The Army found the program is most effective with 18- to 24-year-olds, and trained groups showed higher self-reported resilience and psychological health benefits than control groups.
“We’re talking about communication, critical thinking and optimism — pretty basic life skills our soldiers can greatly benefit from,” CSF Director Col. Kenneth Riddle said.
Others argue the jury is still out on whether resilience is an immutable personality trait or a learned state that can be altered.
“It’s entirely possible resiliency is more nature than nurture. Is it a personality trait that is stable or can it actually be taught? We’ll start to see findings in a couple of years, after they run enough people through the programs to get more widespread outcomes data,” said Lisa Meredith, co-author of a Rand Corp. report on military resilience programs.
Eidelson and psychologist Stephen Soldz said they believe the Army’s conclusions of success are “deeply flawed” because they are based solely on self-assessment and do not include validated measures of the program’s effects on post-traumatic stress disorder, depression, suicides or psychological disorders.
The Army said its next report, due later this year, will examine the impact of CSF on these behaviors.
“I can understand the desire for a primary prevention program, but the fact that the suicide rate is up this year, after this program has been in place for a while, does suggest it’s not producing any miracles,” Soldz said.