A model of resilience and meaning after military deployment: Personal resources in making sense of war and peacekeeping experiences

Abstract: The aim of the present study was to examine whether the specific personal resources of self-esteem, optimism and perceived control, combined in the latent variable called ‘resilience’, were associated with cognitive processing ofwar-zone experiences. Data were collected by questionnaires from a sample of 1.561 veterans who hadparticipated in various war or peacekeeping operations. Structural equation modelling was performed to assessthe expected relationships between the observed and latent variables. The construct of resilience was well-definedand proved to be strongly associated with both construals of meaning, comprehensibility versus personalsignificance, after military deployment. According to our model, higher resilience predicted less distrust in othersand the world, more personal growth and less intrusions and avoidance after military deployment.