Predictors and protective factors for suicide ideation across remotely piloted aircraft career fields

ABSTRACT

The US Air Force remote warrior community comprises several career fields including remotely piloted aircraft pilots and intelligence, cyber, and sensor operators. The crews are responsible for working seamlessly together to provide 24/7 real-time intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance and precision-strike weapons capabilities for a wide range of global combat operations. Due to the rapid increase in global demands and operational tempo, there is growing concern from military leadership about the impact of operational stress on the health and psychological well-being of remote warriors. Previous assessments from 2011 and 2015 have demonstrated a significant increase in the reported rates of operators experiencing suicide ideation. The current study examined two protective factors expected to reduce the risk of suicide ideation – team member social support and leader social support. A total of 905 active duty remote warriors participated in occupational health assessments conducted in 2018. Risk factors for suicide ideation included being unmarried, worsening relationship problems, occupational burnout, and increased operational stress. Results indicated that team member and leader social support were significant protective factors for shift workers and those who reported being less likely to seek mental healthcare. Implications of the findings, intervention recommendations, and directions for future research are discussed.

KEYWORDS:

• Remote warriors
• RPA operators
• suicide ideation
• team member social support
• leader social support

Acknowledgments

The views expressed in this article are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the US Air Force (USAF), the Department of Defense, or the US Government.

Disclosure statement

The authors have no conflicts of interest to report. This research is sponsored by the USAF School of Aerospace Medicine as part of its ongoing efforts toward improving the health of USAF remote warriors. This paper is the product of the work completed by NeuroStat Analytical Solutions, the company contracted to assist in this project.