Physical Injuries, Treatment-Seeking, and Perceived Barriers to Treatment in U.S. Army Drill Sergeants

Drill sergeants work under mentally and physically challenging conditions. The current study examined self-reported rates of physical injuries in drill sergeants; rates of treatment-seeking for injuries; perceived barriers toward treatment-seeking; and associated demographic and environmental factors.

Drill sergeants from across all Army basic training locations completed self-report surveys from September to November of 2018. In total, 726 drill sergeants were included in analyses. Drill sergeants indicated whether they had acquired an injury during their time in the drill sergeant role and whether they had sought treatment for all such injuries. Furthermore, drill sergeants rated their agreement with a number of possible perceived barriers to treatment-seeking for physical injuries. Regression models examining each phenomenon included hours of sleep obtained per day; general- and health-specific leadership behaviors of the company command teams; unit cohesion; time as a drill sergeant; duty location; gender; military operational specialty; years in the military; previous combat deployments; and route of assignment. The study was approved by the Walter Reed Army Institute of Research Institutional Review Board.

In total, 38% of respondents reported acquiring an injury during their time as drill sergeants. Of those who had acquired an injury, 61% reported seeking medical help for all injuries acquired. Injuries were more likely in females (49%) than in males (34%) and less likely in drill sergeants reporting at least 6 hours of sleep (27%) versus those reporting 5 hours (40%) and 4 hours or less (43%). Reported comparisons were significant after controlling for demographic and environmental variables in regression models. The most strongly endorsed perceived barriers to treatment-seeking were "Seeking help would place too much burden on the other drill sergeants" (69%) and "Seeking help would interfere with my ability to train the recruits" (60%). Both of these perceived barriers were significantly associated with reduced treatment-seeking in injured drill sergeants, after controlling for demographic and environmental variables.

This study is the first to examine injury occurrence, treatment-seeking, and perceived barriers to treatment-seeking in U.S. Army drill sergeants. Building on previous studies that showed the negative effects of sleep deprivation on the safety and behavioral health of drill sergeants, the current study gives further evidence of the negative effects of such sleep deprivation, this time in the domain of physical injuries. The results suggest that pursuing strategies that allow for healthier sleep duration may contribute to injury reduction.