Positive functioning and emotional well-being among military personnel and the general population with and without a history of child abuse in Canada

Abstract

Introduction: Child abuse exposure is highly prevalent among military personnel compared with the general population. However, little is known regarding its relationship to compromised positive mental health outcomes, particularly in the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF). The objectives of this study were (1) to describe the prevalence of overall positive functioning and emotional well-being among CAF personnel with and without a child abuse history compared with the Canadian general population (CGP) and (2) to examine the relationships between child abuse and positive functioning and emotional well-being among the CAF compared with the CGP. Methods: Data were drawn from two nationally representative datasets: the 2013 Canadian Forces Mental Health Survey (Regular Forces, n = 6,692, response rate = 79.8%; Reserve Forces, n = 1,469, response rate = 78.7%) and the 2012 Canadian Community Health Survey–Mental Health ( n = 23,395; response rate = 68.9%). Keyes’ Mental Health Continuum–Short Form was used to measure positive functioning and emotional well-being. Results: Compared with the CGP, CAF personnel had reduced functioning and emotional well-being. All child abuse types were associated with increased odds of experiencing moderate and languishing mental health and decreased odds of reporting individual indicators of positive functioning and emotional well-being among the CGP and CAF personnel. One significant population interaction effect was found, indicating that among the CAF, exposure to intimate partner violence had a stronger relationship with moderate mental health than among the CGP. Discussion: Child abuse history may be an important factor to consider when trying to improve positive functioning and emotional well-being among CAF personnel.