Nearly $300M effort to boost outlook has been controversial

The Army’s six-year, nearly $300 million effort to use positive psychology to make soldiers more resilient after 14 years of war has been controversial since its inception in 2009.

A panel of scientists from the Institute of Medicine, part of the National Academy of Sciences, concluded last year that there is little or no evidence the program prevents mental illness.

The panel said there was no effort to test it before the Army embraced it, and it cited research arguing that the program could be harmful if it leaves soldiers with a false sense of resiliency.

The Army disputed the findings, pushing ahead with its program, which now costs more than $50 million a year. At least 2.45 million soldiers have taken a selfassessment test that is a crucial part of the resiliency training, and 28,000 GIs have been instructed on how to teach other soldiers the curriculum.

“The Army funds this program because the Army values the lives of soldiers and wants to instill skills and competencies that will enhance their connections, rela- tionships and ability to mitigate stressors and exercise help seeking behaviors through their life,” the Army said in a statement.

Yet internal data obtained by USA TODAY show most soldiers trending in the wrong direction. Two-thirds were borderline or worse in “catastrophic thinking,” where poor scores mean a soldier has trouble adapting to change or dwells on the worst possible things happening. Other results:

Forty-eight percent, about 370,000 soldiers, showed a lack of commitment to their job. Only 28% felt good about what they do.

About 300,000 soldiers, or nearly 40%, didn’t trust their immediate supervisor or fellow soldiers in their unit or didn’t feel respected or valued. Thirty-two percent felt good about bosses and peers.

In one positive trend, more than 400,000 soldiers, 53%, were satisfied with their marriage, personal relationship or family. About 240,000 were dissatisfied.

Retired vice admiral Norb Ryan, head of the Military Officers Association of America, and Joyce Raezer, executive of the National Military Family Association, said the results are not surprising: war and decisions to downsize have left morale low.

A recent survey by the Military Times and a Navy Retention Study also show troops increasingly unhappy.