Psychological Hardiness and Grit Are Associated with Musculoskeletal Injury in U.S. Army Trainees

• Published in: Military behavioral health 2022-10, Vol.10 (4), p.429-443
• Main Authors: Heaton, Kristin J., Judkins, Jason L., Cohen, Bruce, Nguyen, Vy T., Walker, Leila, Guerriere, Katelyn I., Bartlett, Matthew, Foulis, Stephen, Hughes, Julie
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: basic training; military; psychosocial; recruits; Resilience
• ISSN: 2163-5781; 2163-5803
• DOI: 10.1080/21635781.2022.2067919

Musculoskeletal injuries (MSKIs) during U.S. Army Basic Combat Training (BCT) are pervasive, costly, and erode training effectiveness. Research has explored factors, particularly physical and demographic characteristics, which contribute to injury risk in military trainees. Psychological traits, such as hardiness and grit, have been associated with positive performance outcomes and retention during military training, but their relationship to injury risk is unclear. In this study, 2275 U.S. Army trainees completed validated measures of hardiness and grit at the start (T1) and end (T2) of BCT, and reported injuries sustained during BCT via weekly survey. A majority of trainees (70%) reported an injury during BCT. Trainees reporting high scores on grit and positive hardiness subscales at T1 had 20-30% lower odds of self-reported injury during training; those reporting high scores on negative hardiness subscales at T1 had 20-40% greater odds of self-reported injury. Trainees who reported an injury during BCT also reported higher scores on negative hardiness subscales at T2 compared to uninjured trainees. These findings provide novel evidence supporting an association between positive psychological traits and MSKI risk in military trainees, and underscore the importance of considering psychological resilience when assessing MSKI risk in military populations.