Effectiveness of mental skills training in the military context

Participants assigned to the intervention arm will receive a two-day (approximately 8 hours per day), modularised psychological skills training (PST) package. The program will be delivered to members in groups of 20-40 individuals; it is anticipated that the intervention will be delivered to approximately 15 member groups or units. All sessions will be delivered face to face by a facilitation team that includes two experienced human performance specialists (with Masters/PhD level educational training in sport psychology) and at least 1 co-facilitator (member of the Canadian Armed Forces who has received specialist training in the content and delivery of the intervention package). All intervention sessions will be delivered at formal training facilities of the Canadian Armed Forces using a PowerPoint package displayed on a projector screen and hardcopy manual for participants. The same two human performance specialists will lead the delivery of the intervention, adhering to a single training protocol to ensure standardised delivery in terms of structure and content across member groups. The co-facilitators will vary depending on their availability throughout the intervention period. The PST package includes education delivered by human performance specialists, videos of current members who discuss their experiences with specific psychological skills, breakout sessions for participants to engage in discussion with peers, and practical skill exercises where participants test out strategies taught in the education component. In terms of content, the PST program incorporates modules on stress and activation; activation management; confidence; self-talk; imagery; goal setting; routines; attention control; recovery; mindfulness; and self-regulation. Participants will be provided with a hardcopy course pack including all PowerPoint slides and exercises used during the training package. As the training program is delivered by the same two human performance specialists, the intervention will be rolled out sequentially over a period of approximately 8 months. Units who have expressed an interest in this study will be provided with a schedule in which 2-day blocks are dispersed across the study period in approximately 20 cohorts. For each cohort, there will be two dates available, which will be represented as “A” (intervention) or “B” (waitlist control). Group A will receive the intervention at the start of the block, whereas Group B will receive the intervention after the post-assessments have been completed. Unit training coordinators will choose from these available options as to when they can complete the training by selecting their chosen date. Units will have no visibility as to whether the option they have chosen is the intervention or waitlist control (i.e., blinded); all they will see are the dates offered and the “closing date” for sign-up to each cohort, which is 2 weeks prior to the date allocated to Group A (i.e., receives the intervention as part of the study). Co-facilitators will receive specialist training prior to the roll out of the intervention. This training will involve between 3-5 serials or iterations, depending on requirements and availability of personnel. The co-facilitator training will occur over a period of 5 days, and will include in-person training in which we cover the entire training content (with time for review/questions for each module); and 2 days of adult education content with practical public speaking practice and a pass/fail evaluation component where each participant delivers part of the course content to their peers, and is provided a score and feedback. The training is delivered in person, using an interactive approach comprised of PowerPoint presentations, individual self-reflective exercises, group discussion, video, and practical teaching/public speaking exercises. The training will be delivered by a team of mental performance specialists (with masters or PhD level training) who developed the intervention program.