Overcoming through service: An explanatory sequential mixed methods inquiry into the psychological resilience of minority military members

Abstract:This dissertation research project sought to advance the current body of research on mental health and psychological resilience among active-duty military service members (SMs), by generating knowledge on the resilience building strategies that are optimal for minority members within the military context. Contemporary research on this topic often groups the US military population into a collective whole, without carefully attending to the experiences, challenges, and strengths of minoritized groups. While this approach facilitates research that can be applied to inform interventions and policy improvements, it discounts the reality that interventions empirically supported for homogenous groups are less effective when applied within substantially diverse contexts (i.e., the military). This dissertation project employed a comprehensive Explanatory Sequential Mixed-Methods Research Design to address 3 key research aims: 1) to identify the malleable psychosocial-spiritual factors empirically supported for promoting psychological resilience for SMs of Color; 2) to examine differences in psychological resilience across social strata within the active-duty military setting; and 3) to use phenomenological approaches to understand how SMs of Color engage in resilience strategies, navigate environmental and cultural obstacles, and to identify structural opportunities for contributing to their resiliency. The purpose of mixing methods was to facilitate comparisons between SMs across social strata, and to understand the obstacles, strategies, and opportunities associated with each military stratum. The long-term goal was to improve SM mental and behavioral health, wellbeing, quality of life, and (ultimately) operational readiness. The literature review and the systematic review pointed to gaps within the empirical literature on racialized and ethnic SM resilience and provided some insights into psychosocial-spiritual factors and mechanisms for improving resilience. The quantitative analysis provided empirical support on notable differences in psychological resilience across the hypothesized Military Social Strata profiles, based on intersectionality, characterized by gender, racialization, and rank. The qualitative results helped explain the comprehensive research findings and gave voice to the lived experiences of the SM participants. This research contributes to advancing the literature on mental health and resilience among military members by highlighting the resilience of historically underprivileged individuals who inhabit multiple intersecting social positions, while serving within the military.