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15th February 2012
Entertainment ‘Has A Role To Play’ In Ensuring Mental Well-Being Of Troops.
A report released today, examining the impact of entertainment on the well-being of UK Armed Forces, finds that it plays an important role in sustaining morale, and hence may help protect servicemen against psychological disorders.
The report was written by Edgar Jones, Professor of the History of Medicine and Psychiatry at the Institute of Psychiatry at King’s College London for the British Forces Foundation (BFF), and takes a historical look at the impact of entertainment on troop morale from World War I to the conflict in Afghanistan today.
Professor Jones says: ‘No single factor can be guaranteed to raise morale, but those that do, will undoubtedly have some effect on mental well-being. Whilst entertainment cannot, and does not, provide absolute protection against the psychological problems associated with war, it does have a role to play in protecting service personnel against mental health problems.’
Studies conducted of US armed forces in Iraq and Afghanistan demonstrate a clear association between falling morale and rising mental health problems. Research found that over a 12 month tour by US service personnel, morale fell to a low at 10 months, the time at which mental health problems such as post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) rose to a peak.
UK deployments are much shorter than those of US service personnel and currently stand at 6 months. To date, mental health problems experienced by UK Armed Forces have remained relatively low - PTSD rates average at 3% but rise to 7% for front-line troops. A number of factors help protect against mental health problems including tours that aren’t excessively long with significant gaps in between for recuperation and training, confidence in commanders and equipment, feeling supported by friends and family, and a good level of social cohesion within the soldier’s unit.
Many factors are indicative of poor morale, such as desertion, absenteeism, disciplinary offences and sickness. Factors that can raise or sustain morale are confidence in commanders, unit cohesion, belief in the task and the fair provision of rest and recreation.
In order for entertainment to have the most positive effect on morale, its provision must be perceived as equitable and fair. The report finds that disproportionate delivery, for example focusing only on rear areas rather than the front-line, poor quality entertainment or entertainment that isn’t tailored to a military audience are likely to do more harm than good.
Professor Jones adds: ‘Only recently have we started to survey welfare packages delivered to UK troops. We hope that this data will in future allow us to better understand the contribution these packages make to the well-being of service personnel, and quantify how long the effect good quality entertainment has on morale lasts.’
Mark Cann, Director of the BFF says: ‘We are very pleased with this report as it illustrates the positive impact entertainment can have. Professor Jones opens up important areas for further research but these findings are significant and should be of real benefit to the military and those concerned with the well-being of our Armed Forces.
‘Sending the biggest names in entertainment, free, to the frontline as volunteers with the support of the British public has a proven effect on morale, so long as it is carried out in the right way. We at the British Forces Foundation hope this report will bring about greater understanding of what we do and the contribution our work has had. We hope the findings might encourage a review of how military entertainment is conducted in future so that our work may be as effective as possible.’
The report was commissioned at the request of the BFF and carried out by King’s College London. The BFF received specific restricted funding for the report from the D’Oyly Carte Charity Trust and general funding from a number of other organisations that support the charity in order to maintain its independence.
Notes:
Professor Edgar Jones and Mark Cann are both available for interview. Copies of the report entitled ‘Morale, Psychological Wellbeing of UK Armed Forces and Entertainment: a report for the British Forces Foundation’ are available on request. To read the report, click on the following link: morale_report_bff_screen4.pdf
For Professor Jones, please contact: Seil Collins, Press Officer, Institute of Psychiatry, King’s College London, email: seil.collins@kcl.ac.uk or tel: 0207 848 5377 or 0797 972 8674
For Mark Cann, email: markcann@bff.org.uk or tel: 01672 564 911 or 07802 815 294
King’s College London:
King's College London is one of the top 30 universities in the world (2011/12 QS international world rankings), and was The Sunday Times 'University of the Year 2010/11', and the fourth oldest in England. A research-led university based in the heart of London, King's has nearly 23,500 students (of whom more than 9,000 are graduate students) from nearly 140 countries, and some 6,000 employees. King's is in the second phase of a £1 billion redevelopment programme which is transforming its estate.
King's has an outstanding reputation for providing world-class teaching and cutting-edge research. In the 2008 Research Assessment Exercise for British universities, 23 departments were ranked in the top quartile of British universities; over half of our academic staff work in departments that are in the top 10 per cent in the UK in their field and can thus be classed as world leading. The College is in the top seven UK universities for research earnings and has an overall annual income of nearly £525 million (year ending 31 July 2011).
King's has a particularly distinguished reputation in the humanities, law, the sciences (including a wide range of health areas such as psychiatry, medicine, nursing and dentistry) and social sciences including international affairs. It has played a major role in many of the advances that have shaped modern life, such as the discovery of the structure of DNA and research that led to the development of radio, television, mobile phones and radar. It is the largest centre for the education of healthcare professionals in Europe; no university has more Medical Research Council Centres.
King's College London and Guy's and St Thomas', King's College Hospital and South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trusts are part of King's Health Partners. King's Health Partners Academic Health Sciences Centre (AHSC) is a pioneering global collaboration between one of the world's leading research-led universities and three of London's most successful NHS Foundation Trusts, including leading teaching hospitals and comprehensive mental health services. For more information, visit: www.kingshealthpartners.org
The College is in the midst of a five-year, £500 million fundraising campaign – World questions|King’s answers – created to address some of the most pressing challenges facing humanity as quickly as feasible. The campaign’s three priority areas are neuroscience and mental health, leadership and society, and cancer. More information about the campaign is available at www.kcl.ac.uk/kingsanswers
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