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Could Comprehensive Soldier Fitness Have Iatrogenic Consequences? A Commentary

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Abstract

Comprehensive Soldier Fitness (CSF) is a public health program intended to improve US Army service personnels’ resilience to military stressors including combat and operational experiences. The program uses psychological and behavioral strategies that have been shown to enhance resilience in children and adolescents. CSF has many modules that target a variety of dimensions of wellness. One of the core themes to CSF is the promotion of optimism and positive reframing of challenging situations. To date, the CSF program has not been critically and independently evaluated. This commentary argues that an emphasis on positive emotions and optimism could be maladaptive for post-combat recovery. Clinical and public behavioral health practitioners and researchers can play an important role in evaluating CSF psychological strategies.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Research Fellow in Global Mental Health Delivery, Department of Global Health and Social Medicine, Harvard Medical School, 641 Huntington Avenue, Boston, MA, 02115, USA

    Stephanie L. Smith MD

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  1. Stephanie L. Smith MD
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Correspondence to Stephanie L. Smith MD.

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Smith, S.L. Could Comprehensive Soldier Fitness Have Iatrogenic Consequences? A Commentary. J Behav Health Serv Res 40, 242–246 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11414-012-9302-2

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11414-012-9302-2

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