Loneliness is receiving more and more attention for being an important psychosocial contributor to the deterioration of quality of life, psychological well-being, onset of mental health disorders, but also to the increased mortality and morbidity, through the mediation of general health problems and suicide. While studies on the impact of loneliness in the civilian population have been steadily increasing in number over the past decade, research on the same phenomenon in military settings has progressed at a comparatively slower pace. This article is a two-stage analysis of the perceived lack of social connectedness among active-duty and former military personnel, including (1) a conceptual exploration and literature review based on searches in three electronic databases (PubMed, Google Scholar, and Web of Science/Clarivate), and (2) a pragmatical set of recommended strategies to reduce the impact of loneliness in these populations. Based on the review of 42 primary and secondary sources, the paper explores the prevalence, risk and protective factors, characteristics, and consequences of loneliness, with particular attention to various minorities, female military personnel experiencing motherhood during active duty, civilian spouses of deployed service members, and other significant subgroups. Recommended directions of interventions are threefold, i.e., screening for loneliness and its risk factors, initiation of prophylactic strategies and therapeutic interventions targeting this phenomenon in vulnerable categories. In conclusion, further research on loneliness in both active and former military personnel is strongly warranted, given its significant consequences for multiple dimensions of health and overall functioning.
This study aimed to determine if: 1) C-reactive protein (CRP) level correlated with PTSD symptom severity as measured by PTSD Checklist-5 (PCL-5), and 2) ketone supplement reduced PTSD symptoms. Twenty participants with PTSD were randomly assigned to a ketone supplementation or placebo group and evaluated for 6-weeks for PTSD symptom severity and CRP levels. The Spearman Rank correlation between PCL-5 and CRP was positive, but not statistically significant. Mixed models on the ranks of the data were used to examine the difference in PCL-5 and CRP between ketone and control groups over time. Median PCL-5 at the pre-test was higher than at the post-test in the ketone group but not in the control. The reduction of PCL-5 medians between ketone and control groups at the post-test was not different. The median pre-test CRP was not different from than post-test in the ketone group or control group. This pilot study did not find a correlation between CRP levels and PTSD symptom severity but was limited by a lack of CRP data collection due to the loss of follow-up. PTSD symptom severity was not altered by 6 weeks of chronic ketone salt supplementation compared to the control group but should be examined in a larger sample size for further verification.
Since February 24, 2022, military personnel of the Ukrainian Defense Forces have been resisting the military aggression of the Russian Federation. The fighting and the mobilization of men for military service complicated the well-being of Ukrainian families. The purpose of the article is to identify the relationship between the choice of coping strategies and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and maladaptation indicators in married and unmarried mobilized military personnel. Ukrainian Defense Forces military personnel (n=171 males, between 20 and 60 years of age) took part in this study. The “Strategic Approach to Coping Scale”, “Mississippi Scale for Combat-Related Posttraumatic Stress Disorder”, and “Disadaptation Express Questionnaire” were used. Correlation and exploratory factor analysis made it possible to identify the structure of coping strategies in mobilized servicemen with different family statuses and to determine the relationships between coping strategies, PTSD, and maladaptation indicators. The pre-war experience of using coping strategies by married and unmarried mobilized military personnel was not a sufficient barrier to the emergence of PTSD symptoms and maladaptation manifestations. Married and unmarried mobilized servicemen had a deficit structure of coping strategies characteristic of war.
