Keywords
Combat Exposure
Post-Deployment Reintegration
Military Veterans
How to Cite
Abstract
Deployment of military personnel to combat zones is often followed by numerous occupational and social challenges that may hinder job performance, strain interpersonal relationships with colleagues and family members, and reduce readiness for future deployments. While many veterans experience work- and family-related difficulties after deployment, others are able to reintegrate effectively into their normal military lives upon returning home. This suggests that factors beyond deployment experiences may influence post-deployment reintegration outcomes.
The present study examined whether personality traits mediate the relationship between combat exposure and post-deployment reintegration among Nigerian military veterans. A total of 2,550 veterans were recruited through a national survey conducted across three divisions using a multi-stage sampling technique. The hypotheses were tested using the Hayes PROCESS macro for mediation analysis in the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS).
Findings revealed that, except for Openness to Experience, which showed no significant mediating effect (B = -.00, 95% CI = -.01, .00), four personality traits—Extraversion (B = .01, 95% CI = .01, .02), Agreeableness (B = -.02, 95% CI = -.03, -.01), Conscientiousness (B = .02, 95% CI = .01, .03), and Neuroticism (B = -.03, 95% CI = -.05, -.02)—significantly mediated the relationship between combat exposure and post-deployment reintegration.
These results suggest that, regardless of the nature and intensity of combat experiences, veterans’ personality traits play a critical role in shaping how successfully they reintegrate into military and civilian life following deployment. It is therefore imperative for military leaders, commanders, and stakeholders to consider these dispositional factors to facilitate faster, more efficient, and effective reintegration of personnel after combat operations.
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