Resilience as a dynamic process among military recruits exposed to basic combat training stressors

Abstract New military recruits, typically emerging adults, must rapidly adapt to the stressors of basic combat training (BCT) – a developmentally significant and intentionally stressful experience. Drawing on a developmental psychopathology framework of risk and resilience, we prospectively examined predictors of psychological adaptation in a longitudinal sample of recruits (age mean = 19.0, SD = 3.0) assessed before and after BCT (59.7% of those eligible for follow-up; N = 657). Pre-registered hierarchical linear regressions tested direct and moderating effects of individual difference variables previously linked to risk and resilience. Higher levels of prior adversity, worse self-regulatory difficulties, and (unexpectedly) higher general cognitive ability at baseline were associated with worsening post-BCT internalizing distress, after accounting for baseline symptoms. Gender, baseline social support, and baseline Multidimensional Personality Questionnaire (MPQ) scales were not associated with longitudinal changes in internalizing distress, and no moderation effects were found. Our findings suggest that bolstering emotion regulation skills, especially among those with prior adversity, may be important for preventing the emergence of psychopathology and promoting more successful adaptation to military roles. The unexpected association between cognitive ability and distress may reflect context sensitivity, suggesting that the demands of BCT may alter the typical adaptive function of cognitive strengths.