Protective factors that mitigate the indirect risk of combat exposure upon meaning in life: A longitudinal study of student veterans

OBJECTIVE Studies of combat emphasize its impact upon health-related outcomes (e.g., depression). Little is known regarding the risk that combat poses to positive outcomes, such as meaning in life, and factors that mitigate this risk. We sought to investigate whether combat poses an indirect risk to life meaning and protective factors that mitigate this risk. METHOD Through an online survey at 2 time points, 153 combat-exposed veterans enrolled in college reported combat exposure, health status (posttraumatic stress disorder, depressive, somatic symptoms), meaning in life, and protective factors (social support, instructor autonomy support, coping ability, academic self-efficacy, social and community participation, and meaningful activity). We used path analysis to (a) explore whether baseline health status and life meaning mediated the relationship between combat and follow-up life meaning, and (b) test whether protective factors promoted life meaning despite combat and health status (combat-related risk). RESULTS The relationship between combat and follow-up life meaning was mediated by baseline health status and life meaning. Meaningful activity and coping ability were associated with greater life meaning independently of combat-related risk. The indirect effect of combat upon life meaning was weakened when social support, instructor autonomy support, coping ability, and academic self-efficacy were high. CONCLUSIONS Combat is associated with worse health status, in turn limiting student veterans' life meaning. This supports an expanded conception of combat-related risk, in which the effect of combat upon positive outcomes is emphasized. Findings indicate that the proposed protective factors may mitigate combat-related risk. We discuss implications for research and practice. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2020 APA, all rights reserved).