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A Schema Conceptualisation of Psychosocial Functioning Among Transitioned Military Personnel

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Abstract

Background

The military to civilian transition process is often associated with a negative impact on psychosocial functioning. Contemporary approaches to understand this are moving away from focussing on posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), to examine the military cultural and environmental impacts of service. Schema theory can provide a useful conceptual framework for understanding these issues. The aim of this study was to explore Early Maladaptive Schemas (EMS) across three samples: transitioned military personnel, veterans and first responders with PTSD, and general adults.

Method

This cross-sectional research used a transitioned military sample recruited specifically for this study (N = 94) and two comparison samples of veterans and first responders diagnosed with PTSD (N = 218), and general adults (N = 264) from previous research. Participants completed a Young Schema Questionnaire (YSQ). Independent t-tests were conducted to compare the three samples.

Results

Transitioned military personnel were significantly higher than the general adults on the EMS of Vulnerability to Harm, Entitlement, Emotional Inhibition, Punitiveness and Unrelenting Standards and lower on the schema of Enmeshment. Transitioned military personnel were significantly lower than the PTSD sample on 11 out of the 18 EMS.

Conclusions

The cluster of EMS evident in the transitioned military sample were conceptualised as ‘The Military Mode’. This conceptual framework can be used to understand the psycho-social issues experienced by transitioned military personnel and to inform interventions to promote successful transition.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Applied Psychology, Griffith University, Mount Gravatt, QLD, 4122, Australia

    Megan A. Fry, Mark J. Boschen, Shirley A. Morrissey & Nicola W. Burton

  2. Centre for Mental Health, Griffith University, Mount Gravatt, QLD, 4122, Australia

    Megan A. Fry & Nicola W. Burton

  3. Menzies Health Institute, Griffith University, Gold Coast, QLD, 4222, Australia

    Megan A. Fry & Nicola W. Burton

  4. School of Psychology, Murdoch University, Perth, WA, 6150, Australia

    Ozgur Yalcin

  5. M Fry Psychologist, Bald Hills, QLD, 4036, Australia

    Megan A. Fry

Authors
  1. Megan A. Fry
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  2. Mark J. Boschen
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  3. Shirley A. Morrissey
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  4. Ozgur Yalcin
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  5. Nicola W. Burton
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Contributions

MAF, NWB, MJB and SAM contributed to the study conception and design. Material preparation and data collection (for the transitioned military sample) and analysis were done by MAF with oversight by NWB, MJB and SAM. OY was responsible for material preparation and data collection for the PTSD and general adult samples. The first draft of the manuscript was written by MAF and all authors commented on previous versions of the manuscript. All authors read and approved the final manuscript.

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Correspondence to Megan A. Fry.

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Appendix A

Appendix A

The Military Mode Model

See Fig. 2.

Fig. 2
figure 2

The Military Mode Model can be downloaded and accessed for free at https://mfry.com.au/st-for-military-personnel/

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Fry, M.A., Boschen, M.J., Morrissey, S.A. et al. A Schema Conceptualisation of Psychosocial Functioning Among Transitioned Military Personnel. Cogn Ther Res 48, 281–291 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10608-023-10455-9

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