Stress, Mindsets, and Success in Navy SEALs Special Warfare Training

Could directly shifting self-doubt mind-set reduce the negative effects of chronic self-doubt?

Research has shown negative effects of chronic self-doubt on psychological and performance outcomes. Two experiments were conducted to examine (a) the malleability of the mind-set about self-doubt; and (b) whether shifting to a more positive mind-set reduces the negative effects of self-doubt. Participants in Experiment 1 were randomly assigned to one of two mind-set induction conditions (positive versus negative). A control group was added in Experiment 2, in which we also enhanced the strength and symmetry of the positive and negative mind-set inductions. The results from both experiments showed a significant change in self-doubt mind-set in the hypothesized direction as a result of the mind-set induction. Interestingly, Experiment 2 revealed that priming either positive or negative mind-set diminished the negative self-doubt effects on task engagement, relative to the control group. The findings for the negative mind-set group were counter to the hypothesis but replicated what was observed in Experiment 1.

Optimising Combat Readiness: Practical Strategies for Integrating Physiological and Psychological Resilience in Soldier Training

This narrative review examines the intricate psychophysiological interplay between cognitive functions and physical responses within military personnel engaged in combat. It elucidates the spectrum of responses elicited by symmetric and asymmetric warfare alongside specialised combat scenarios, including close-quarters and subterranean warfare. Central to this discourse is the emphasis on integrating training programs beyond physical conditioning to encompass psychological resilience and decision-making efficacy under duress. The exploration further ventures into applying advanced technologies such as virtual reality and wearable devices, highlighting their pivotal role in augmenting training outcomes and supporting soldier health. Through a detailed analysis of psychophysiological variations across different military branches of service, the narrative review advocates for bespoke training regimens and support frameworks tailored to address the unique exigencies of each service branch. Concluding observations stress the importance of evolving military training paradigms, advocating for adopting realistic, immersive training simulations that mirror the complexities of the contemporary battlefield. This synthesis aims to contribute to the ongoing discourse on optimising military training protocols and enhancing the operational readiness and well-being of armed forces personnel. This narrative review is essential for military psychologists, trainers, and policymakers, aiming to bridge the gap between theoretical knowledge and practical implementation in military training programs.

'Ask a hundred people, you get a hundred definitions': A comparison of lay and expert understanding of stress and its associations with health

The understanding an individual holds about stress can influence their appraisal of it and have implications for subsequent health, yet knowledge of such understanding is scarce. This study explored discrepancies between lay and expert understanding of stress and links made between stress and health. Twenty-six lay members of the local community aged 18-62 years, and seven expert stress researchers, participated in individual semi-structured interviews. Thematic analysis of the two datasets was conducted separately, then findings compared to identify similarities and differences between lay and scientific understanding. Whilst many similarities were identified, we found three important discrepancies: (i) Lay participants demonstrated a strong awareness of the indirect effects of stress on health via health behaviours; (ii) compared to experts, lay participants showed less awareness of a direct path between stress and physical health; (iii) lay participants showed less understanding of social determinants of stress and collective measures for stress management that went beyond individual responsibility. Discrepancies identified serve to highlight potential misunderstandings in lay conceptualisation of stress and its links with health. These findings have potential to facilitate the work of practitioners who serve as intermediaries to translate scientific knowledge into therapeutic benefit, through improved awareness and communication surrounding stress understanding.

Mental Skills for Orthopaedic Surgery

Orthopaedic surgery training focuses primarily on the knowledge base and surgical techniques that comprise the fundamental and physical pillars of performance. It also pays much less attention to the mental pillar of performance than does the training of other specialists such as aviators, elite athletes, musicians, and Special Forces operators. However, mental skills optimize the ability to achieve the ideal state during surgery that includes absolute focus with the right amount of confidence and stress. The path to this state begins before surgery with visualization of the surgical steps and potential complications. On the day of surgery, the use of compartmentalization, performance aspirations, performance breathing, and keeping the team focused facilitates achieving and maintaining the proper mental state. Considering the similarities between surgery and other fields of expertise that do emphasize the mental pillar, including this training in orthopaedic residencies, is likely beneficial.

The mediating role of proactive coping in the relationships between stress mindset, challenge appraisal tendencies, and psychological wellbeing

Objective

Stress is ubiquitous and how individuals view the nature of stress can influence psychological wellbeing. The present study aimed to investigate the mediating role of proactive coping on the relationships between stress mindset and challenge appraisal tendencies and examine how this in turn related to psychological wellbeing. A secondary aim was to investigate if there were any differences in stress mindset between athletes and non-athletes. It was hypothesised that stress mindset would be indirectly positively associated with challenge appraisal tendencies through proactive coping, that a challenge appraisal tendency would positively relate to vitality, and that vitality would negatively relate to depressive symptoms. It was also hypothesised that athletes would possess more facilitative views of stress compared with non-athletes.

Methods

Two hundred and seven individuals (n = 101 athletes, n = 106 non-athletes, Mage = 22.76 years, SD = 4.94) completed an online questionnaire pack assessing stress mindset, proactive coping, challenge appraisal tendencies, vitality, and depressive symptoms.

Results

Using path analysis, the hypothesised model demonstrated a good fit to the data and the positive relationship between stress mindset and challenge appraisal tendencies was mediated by proactive coping. Challenge appraisal tendencies were positively associated with vitality, which was negatively associated with depressive symptoms. Athletes reported a significantly greater 'stress-is-enhancing' mindset, greater vitality, and fewer depressive symptoms than non-athletes.

Conclusion

Findings offer support for the role that stress mindset has in potentially influencing psychological wellbeing and offer the novel suggestion that this mechanism may operate through proactive coping and challenge appraisal tendencies.

Shooter ready? Integrating mental skills training in an advanced sniper course

Performance psychology has increased in usage and popularity; however, we contend that within the elite spheres of the military, there is a need for research and development to fit the context and environment. In this study, we describe an explorative case study on the integration of mental skill training techniques to an advanced sniper course in the Norwegian Armed Forces. We evaluate the impact through triangulation and examine results on the course, perceptions of the participants, and observations from the instructors. In addition, we conducted a 1-year follow-up to get participants' experience of translating the skills beyond the course. The results show that the mental skill training package influenced both results and performance in a positive manner; however, as a novel field, further research is warranted to establish a best practice to enhance performance for elite military forces.

Framing depression as a functional signal, not a disease: Rationale and initial randomized controlled trial

Depression is often framed as a disease or dysfunctional syndrome, yet this framing has unintended negative consequences including increased stigma. Here, we consider an alternative messaging framework - that depression serves an adaptive function. We describe the historical development of popular messages about depression and draw from the fields of evolutionary psychiatry and social cognition to describe the alternative framework that depression is a "signal" that serves a purpose. We then present data from a pre-registered, online randomized-controlled study in which participants with self-reported depression histories viewed a series of videos that explained depression as a "disease like any other" with known biopsychosocial risk factors (BPS condition), or as a signal that serves an adaptive function (Signal condition). In the entire sample (N = 877), three of the six hypotheses were supported: The Signal condition led to less self-stigma, greater offset efficacy, and more adaptive beliefs about depression. Exploratory analyses revealed these Signal effects were stronger among females (N = 553), who also showed a greater growth mindset of depression after the Signal explanation. Results suggest that framing depression as an adaptive signal can benefit patients and avoid harmful consequences of popular etiological presentations. We conclude that alternative framings of depression are worthy of further study.

Protecting healthcare workers' mental health against COVID-19-related stress: The effects of stress mindset and psychological resilience

Healthcare workers have been on the frontline of the battle against COVID-19 disease. However, this has taken a toll on them, resulting in elevated stress and poor mental health. We argue that healthcare workers' stress mindset and resilience could mitigate negative outcomes of COVID-19-related stress by helping them view this stressful situation in a more positive light and appraise it as a challenge rather than a threat. Accordingly, we hypothesized that both a stress-is-enhancing mindset about COVID-19-related stress and resilience would improve healthcare workers' appraisal of their personal resources and increase their challenge appraisals, positively contributing to their mental health. We collected data from 160 healthcare workers and performed structural equation modeling for hypothesis testing. The results indicate that both a stress-is-enhancing mindset about COVID-19-related stress and psychological resilience are indirectly related to better mental well-being and lower health-related anxiety through challenge appraisals. This study contributes to research in mental health by suggesting that protecting and promoting healthcare workers' mental health is possible by empowering them through increasing personal resources such as a positive mindset about stressful situations and resilience.

How to apply variable selection machine learning algorithms with multiply imputed data: A missing discussion

Psychological researchers often use standard linear regression to identify relevant predictors of an outcome of interest, but challenges emerge with incomplete data and growing numbers of candidate predictors. Regularization methods like the LASSO can reduce the risk of overfitting, increase model interpretability, and improve prediction in future samples; however, handling missing data when using regularization-based variable selection methods is complicated. Using listwise deletion or an ad hoc imputation strategy to deal with missing data when using regularization methods can lead to loss of precision, substantial bias, and a reduction in predictive ability. In this tutorial, we describe three approaches for fitting a LASSO when using multiple imputation to handle missing data and illustrate how to implement these approaches in practice with an applied example. We discuss implications of each approach and describe additional research that would help solidify recommendations for best practices. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved).

Exploring Stress Mindset and Perceived Stress between College Student-Athletes and Non-Athletes

One's beliefs about the nature of stress (e.g., stress mindset) play a large role in the extent to which one experiences the detrimental or beneficial outcomes of stress. Stress mindset has been explored in college students, but there is limited research on stress mindsets in student-athletes. Sport can serve as a buffer to the negative impacts of stress for some student-athletes; however, pressures associated with sport participation increase stress in other student-athletes. Therefore, the purpose was to examine potential differences in stress mindset and perceived stress between non-athletes and college student-athletes. We hypothesized college student-athletes would report higher stress mindset scores but lower perceived stress scores. A total of 272 students (n = 87 student-athletes; n = 185 non-athletes) completed a demographic questionnaire, the Perceived Stress Scale, and the Stress Mindset Measure via an online survey. No significant differences were observed between student-athletes' and non-athletes' stress mindset scores; however, significant differences were observed between student-athletes' and non-athletes' perceived stress. Thus, student-athletes and non-athletes shared a similar view of stress, but student-athletes reported a lower level of perceived stress than non-athletes. While there appears to be no statistically significant differences in stress mindset between college non-athletes and student-athletes, both groups reported holding a stress-is-debilitating mindset. Implications for practitioners working with the college population are discussed.

A systematic review of resilient performance in defence and security settings

A narrative systematic literature review was conducted to explore resilient performance in defence and security settings. A search strategy was employed across a total of five databases, searching published articles from 2001 onwards that assessed performance and optimal function in relation to resilience, in defence and security personnel. Following narrative synthesis, studies were assessed for quality. Thirty-two articles met inclusion criteria across a range of performance domains, including, but not limited to, course selection, marksmanship, land navigation, and simulated captivity. Some of the key findings included measures of mental toughness, confidence, and a stress-is-enhancing mindset being positively associated with performance outcomes. There was mixed evidence for the predictive value of biomarkers, although there was some support for cortisol, dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate (DHEA-S) and neuropeptide-y (NPY), and vagal reactivity. Interventions to improve resilient performance were focused on mindfulness or general psychological skills, with effects generally clearer on cognitive tasks rather than direct performance outcomes in the field. In sum, no single measure, nor intervention was consistently associated with performance over a range of domains. To inform future work, findings from the present review have been used to develop a framework of resilient performance, with the aim to promote theoretically informed work.

Psychological and Physiological Changes during Basic, Underwater, Demolition/SEAL Training

This longitudinal study examines the growth of psychological characteristics and adaptation of physiological markers of stress during a six-month assessment and selection course for U.S. Navy SEALs. Resilience, hardiness, and grit instruments were used to evaluate the psychological characteristics. Blood samples were taken to determine physiological markers related to stress adaptation; specifically, evaluating DHEA, DHEA-to-cortisol ratio, BDNF, NPY, and cortisol. Data was collected at four timepoints throughout the assessment and selection course from 353 students over three classes. Results indicated that resilience and hardiness grow after an initial decline, DHEA and DHEA-to-cortisol increased suggesting physiological adaptation. However, psychological and physiological markers do not exhibit the same growth patterns for participants in the course. This study enhances the understanding of psychological growth and physiological adaptation in a high-stress environment over an extended duration.

Psychometric properties and factorial invariance of the Farsi version of the Stress Mindset Measure

The Stress Mindset Measure consists of eight items to assess whether individuals hold a stress-is-enhancing or a stress-is-debilitating mindset. The current research is a cross-sectional study and aimed to investigate the factor structure, internal consistency reliability, and construct and convergent validity of the Farsi version of the Stress Mindset Measure (SMM). Prior to conducting the study, forward and backward translations of the SMM were performed. Using the convenience sampling method, we recruited 400 none-clinical sample (161 men and 239 women; aged 18 to 69). We utilized SPSS version 24, Amos, and Mplus 7.1 software to analyze the data. Results revealed satisfactory reliability and validity indexes for the Farsi version of the Stress Mindset Measure. The internal consistency of the Farsi version of the Stress Mindset Measure was in the excellent range (α = 0.87). The results of the confirmatory factorial analysis revealed two factors of the Stress Mindset Measure instead of the single factor suggested by the previous studies (fitness indices for the two-factor model were RMSEA = 0.78, CFI = 0.96, and TLI = 0.94). Moreover, we found that the stress-is-debilitating mindset is positively associated with stress (r = 0.233), depression (r = 0.163), and anxiety (r = 0.197). However, this mindset has been found to have no significant relationship with cognitive strategies of emotion regulation and life satisfaction. Also, findings showed no significant correlation between the stress-is-enhancing mindsets and the other variables. The results of this study suggest that the Farsi SMM has proper psychometric properties to assess stress mindsets.

Stress mindset and mental health status among Chinese high school students: The mediating role of exam stress appraisals

Exam stress is one of the main stressors for adolescents, which can trigger severe mental health problems and performance decline. As an alterable individual variable that influences stress consequences, stress mindset has attracted academic attention recently. However, the relationship between stress mindset and adolescents' responses toward exams has not been fully understood. This study aimed to investigate whether stress mindset affected pre-exam mental health status and exam performance, and whether appraisals of exam mediated such influence. We collected stress mindset, threat and challenge appraisals, pre-exam mental health status, and exam scores from 185 Chinese 11th-grade students. All of them would take an important and unified exam organized on the school level. Results showed that the stress-is-enhancing mindset negatively predicted students' symptoms of depression, anxiety, and stress, but had no direct effect on performance. Further mediation analysis showed that stress-is-enhancing mindset was positively associated with the challenging appraisal and was negatively associated with the threat appraisal, thus having better health status (including fewer symptoms of depression, anxiety, and stress) and performance. These results suggest that the stress mindset had an association with students' response toward exams, and how they appraised the upcoming exam would be an important indirect pathway. Future studies may benefit from changing students' mindsets to protect them from negative consequences of exam stress.

Determined Yet Dehumanized: People Higher in Self-Control Are Seen as More Robotic

Desire is part of human nature, and being vulnerable to desire is part of what differentiates humans from machines. However, individuals with high self-control—who demonstrate impressive resistance to their desires—may appear to lack such human vulnerability. We propose that people perceived as high in self-control tend to be dehumanized as more robotic, relating to potentially negative social consequences. Across six studies ( N = 2,007), people perceived those higher in self-control as more robotic. In addition, we found some evidence that this robotic-dehumanization was related to less interest in spending time with the high self-control person. This outcome was reliably linked to lower warmth perceptions that correlated with greater robotic-dehumanization. Together, our results offer new insights into the social dynamics of exhibiting high self-control.

Assessment of Resilience of the Hellenic Navy Seals by Electrodermal Activity during Cognitive Tasks

Stress resilience plays a key role in task performance during emergencies, especially in occupations like military special forces, with a routine consisting of unexpected events. Nevertheless, reliable and applicable measurements of resilience in predicting task performance in stressful conditions are still researched. This study aimed to explore the stress response in the Hellenic Navy SEALs (HN-SEALs), using a cognitive–physiological approach. Eighteen candidates under intense preparation for their enlistment in the HN-SEALs and 16 healthy controls (HCs) underwent Stroop tests, along with mental-state and personality examination. Simultaneously, electrodermal activity (EDA) was assessed during each one of cognitive testing procedures. Compared to healthy control values, multiple components of EDA values were found decreased (p < 0.05) in the HN-SEALs group. These results were associated with an increase in resilience level in the HN-SEALs group, since a restricted sympathetic reactivity according to the reduced EDA values was observed during the stressful cognitive testing. This is the first report providing physiological measurements of the sympathetic response of HN-SEALs to a stressful situation and suggests that EDA turns out to be a simple and objective tool of sympathetic activation and it may be used as a complementary index of resilience in HN-SEALs candidates.

Mindsets in the clinic: Applying mindset theory to clinical psychology

Beliefs about the malleability of attributes, also known as mindsets, have been studied for decades in social-personality psychology and education. Here, I review the many applications of mindset theory to clinical psychology and psychotherapy. First, I review social psychological and cognitive neuroscience evidence that mindsets and mindset-related messages are, to a large extent, focused on emotional tolerance. Specifically, the growth mindset, or the belief that attributes are malleable, encourages confronting and tolerating anxiety, frustration, and disappointment in healthy and adaptive ways that promote resilience, whereas the fixed mindset and related messages discourage the experience of these emotions and often leads to helplessness. Second, I review the emerging research on the anxiety mindset and discuss its relevance to clinical work. A model is proposed illustrating connections between mindsets, emotion regulation strategies, treatment preferences, and outcomes. Case examples are used to illustrate practical applications. I conclude that mindsets can inform psychotherapy, research, and public policy.

Can Physiological and Psychological Factors Predict Dropout from Intense 10-Day Winter Military Survival Training?

Background: In the military context, high levels of physiological and psychological stress together can compromise individual’s ability to complete given duty or mission and increase dropout rates. The purpose of this study was to investigate if baseline physical fitness, body composition, hormonal and psychological factors could predict dropout from a 10-day intense winter military survival training. Methods: 69 conscripts volunteered to participate in the study. Physical fitness (muscle strength and power, muscle endurance, and aerobic fitness), body composition and hormonal variables (BDNF, testosterone, cortisol, SHBG, DHEAS, IGF-1) together with self-reported psychological factors (short five personality, hardiness, sense of coherence, stress, depression) were assessed prior the survival training. Results: During the survival training, 20 conscripts (29%) dropped out. Baseline aerobic fitness (hazard ratio, HR: 0.997, 95% CI: 0.994–0.999, p = 0.006) and serum cortisol (HR: 1.0006, 95% CI: 1.001–1.011, p = 0.017) predicted dropout in Cox regression model. Each 10 m increase in the 12 min running test decreased the risk for dropout by 3%. Conclusion: Although most of the physiological and psychological variables at the baseline did not predict dropout during a short-term winter survival military training, baseline information of aerobic fitness and serum cortisol concentration may be useful to target support for individuals at higher potential risk for dropout.

Intended responses to romantic partners' annoying behaviours vary with willpower beliefs

When a romantic partner behaves in an annoying way - for example, by leaving a mess - we might respond with frustration or understanding. Responses may vary with contextual factors, including whether the partner could be mentally fatigued or depleted. We hypothesized that limited willpower theorists - who believe self-control diminishes with use - might be especially likely to consider their partner's preceding mental exertion. Two preregistered studies (combined N = 428) examined participants' responses to four hypothetical scenarios. Limited theorists responded more compassionately to infractions performed after fatiguing days than to those performed after relaxing days; non-limited theorists responded more consistently, regardless of context. Beliefs about one's own willpower, rather than beliefs about one's partner's willpower, can affect how people respond to their partner's undesirable behaviours.