The role of mindfulness and resilience in Navy SEAL training.
Andrew Ledford, Celeste Raver Luning, Deirdre P Dixon, Patti Miles, Scott M Lynch
Military psychology : the official journal of the Division of Military Psychology, American Psychological Association May 3, 2024 DOI: 10.1080/08995605.2022.2062973 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Longitudinal observational study Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Population | SEAL candidates across three classes at Basic Underwater Demolition/SEAL (BUD/S) training |
| Duration | Six-month selection program |
| Topics | Meditation |
| Keywords | Seal training Selection and assessment Psychological assessment Resilience |
| Key findings | Mindfulness measured at the start of BUD/S training was unrelated to completion, whereas resilience was positively related to completion and generally predicted it. The authors conclude that resilience, rather than mindfulness, is associated with successfully finishing the six-month selection program. |
Abstract
Mindfulness and resilience are thought to be essential qualities of the military's special operations community. Both are tested daily in Special Operations Forces (SOF) assessment and selection efforts to prepare candidates to persist through grueling training and complex combat situations; but these qualities are rarely measured. While military leadership places value on the concepts of mindfulness and resilience, there is minimal empirical research examining the role that they play in the completion of training. This longitudinal study followed three classes of SEAL candidates at Basic Underwater Demolition/SEAL (BUD/S) training over their six-month selection program. We estimated logit models predicting successful completion of BUD/S and specific types of failure in that training environment with indexes of mindfulness and resilience at the start of the program as predictors of completion. The results indicate that (1) mindfulness is unrelated to completion, while (2) resilience is positively related to completion, and (3) The results indicate that mindfulness is generally unrelated to completion, while resilience generally predicts completion.
Comparable studies
Other observational and cohort studies on meditation, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| Using Self-Report Assessment Methods to Explore Facets of Mindfulness Undergraduate students | 2006 | Observational cohort | |
| Effectiveness of a meditation-based stress reduction program in the treatment of anxiety disorders Patients with generalized anxiety disorder or panic disorder with or without agoraphobia | 1992 | Observational cohort | n = 22 |
| Meditation experience is associated with increased cortical thickness Participants with extensive Insight meditation experience and matched controls | 2005 | Observational cohort | n = 20 |
| Meditation experience is associated with differences in default mode network activity and connectivity Experienced meditators and matched meditation-naive controls | 2011 | Observational cohort | |
| Long-term meditators self-induce high-amplitude gamma synchrony during mental practice Long-term Buddhist practitioners and controls | 2004 | Observational cohort |
Citations in the library
Cites 17
- The benefits of being present: Mindfulness and its role in psychological well-being. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology 2003
- Using Self-Report Assessment Methods to Explore Facets of Mindfulness Assessment January 27, 2006
- Meta-analytic evidence for effects of mindfulness training on dimensions of self-reported dispositional mindfulness. Psychological Assessment 2016
- Addressing Fundamental Questions About Mindfulness Psychological Inquiry October 19, 2007
- Does the Five Facet Mindfulness Questionnaire measure what we think it does? Construct validity evidence from an active controlled randomized clinical trial. Psychological Assessment October 13, 2015
and 12 more in the library