Mindfulness and resilience: an investigation of the role of mindfulness in post-9/11 military veterans' mental health-related outcomes

2018-07-19Military veterans of the post-9/11 era conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan are at high risk of developing symptoms of mental health disorders, including posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and depression. However, these veterans are likely to report stigmatizing mental health-related beliefs that reduce their likelihood of receiving mental health treatment. Together, these findings point to a need for research that can be leveraged to promote resilience across the continuum of veterans' mental health experiences to enhance prevention, reduce stigma, and increase the likelihood of mental health service use. ❧ This three-study dissertation aimed to improve understanding of risk and protective factors that contribute to post-9/11 era veterans' mental health symptoms, stigmatizing beliefs, and treatment decisions. By applying a risk and resilience framework to investigate associations between mindfulness, combat experiences, PTSD and depression, self-stigma, and mental health service use, each of the three studies sought to explain mental health-related outcomes at interrelated cross-sections of veterans' mental health continua. ❧ Chapter 1 provides an overview of post-9/11 veterans' mental health risks and treatment obstacles and develops the links among the three studies, introducing key study constructs and describing the overarching conceptual framework and individual study goals. Chapter 2 (Study 1) examines and compares main effects of combat experiences and mindfulness on PTSD and depression to improve understanding of how these risk and protective factors contribute to the development of veterans' mental health symptoms. Chapter 3 (Study 2) examines direct and indirect effects of mindfulness, PTSD, and depression on self-stigma of mental illness to develop an integrated risk and resilience model of veterans' self-stigma. Chapter 4 (Study 3) examines main and interaction effects of mindfulness, PTSD and depression, and self-stigma on mental health service use to develop a holistic model of predictors of service use in this population. Chapter 5 discusses conclusions yielded by each study, the broader importance of the study findings, and implications for training, prevention, intervention, service delivery, and future research