Wear and Tear on Military Personnel Post Caledonian Crisis

Official title

Evaluation of Operational Wear and Tear Related to the Caledonian Crisis on Military Personnel

Overview

Since May 2024, New Caledonia has been experiencing a period of crisis. The organisation of the work of military personnel on the ground has been heavily impacted, with longer working hours, shorter rest periods and increased stress levels (uncertainty about the situation, lack of visibility, etc.). Prolonged exposure to stress is accompanied by neuronal damage (Ramdani et al., 2024) and operational fatigue, a mindset that results from reversible neuronal damage and appears to be distinct from exhaustion. The aim of this study is to assess the impact of the crisis on the level of operational fatigue. In addition, identifying the organisational and human factors (Jaspers et al., 2024) that may have been protective against operational fatigue could help to optimise the way in which these factors are taken into account in the event of future crises, in order to promote resilience.

Detailed description

Military personnel face specific operational constraints related to their activity. These constraints require physiological adaptation, which can lead to overall biological wear and tear. In our case, the term 'operational wear and tear' refers to the mindset or mental state induced by operational constraints and the chronic stress they impose.

The soldiers deployed in New Caledonia since the riots in May 2024 have had to cope with operational constraints linked to their job, as well as those linked to the insurrection situation. By modifying the physical constraints (longer working hours, less sleep, etc.) and psychological constraints (for example, the unknown duration of the crisis), the current crisis in New Caledonia may have increased operational wear and tear.

The investigators hypothesise that soldiers present in New Caledonia when the riots began have accumulated additional stress related to the crisis and that this could result in greater operational wear and tear than soldiers transferred to New Caledonia in the summer of 2024. However, it is possible that the stress of moving to New Caledonia will counterbalance this effect. For this reason, the study is being conducted over 2 months, in order to assess the evolutionary profile of operational wear and tear.

This is a single-centre observational study of healthy military personnel in New Caledonia. Subjects will be volunteers and their participation or non-participation will not influence their ability to serve, their promotion or their career. Their superiors will not be informed of their participation or non-participation.

Military personnel will be given an oral presentation of the study. On this occasion, the information note will be distributed to them. If they are volunteers, they will have an inclusion visit, notify their non-objection and fill in the first questionnaire. Between two months later, they will complete the second questionnaire.

Interventions

• Other No intervention
  No intervention

Primary outcome measures

• Assessing operational wear and tear linked to the crisis [Time frame: the questionnaire will be completed by the military in April 2025, i.e. 23 months after the start of the crisis for the exposed group]

Secondary outcome measures (3)

• Assessing the impact of the crisis on Burn-out Assesment Tool sub-scores [Time frame: Military personnel will complete the questionnaires in April 2025 and June 2025, i.e. there will be a two-month gap between the two sessions.]
• Assessing the benefits of raising awareness of organisational and human factors on operational wear and tear [Time frame: Military personnel will complete the questionnaires in April 2025 and June 2025, i.e. there will be a two-month gap between the two sessions.]
• Determining the protective and vulnerability factors (such as Psychosocial Risks) to operational wear and tear [Time frame: Military personnel will complete the questionnaires in April 2025]

Eligibility criteria

Inclusion criteria

• be a member of the military
• be permanently posted to NC at the time of the study

Exclusion criteria

• Be on temporary assignment in NC at the time of the study
• Subjects covered by articles L1121-5 to 1121-8 of the Public Health Code, i.e. :

• Pregnant women, women in labour and nursing mothers
• Persons deprived of their liberty by judicial or administrative decision
• Persons subject to psychiatric monitoring under articles L3212-1 and L3213-1 who are not covered by the provisions of article L1121-8
• Persons of full age who are the subject of a legal protection measure or who are unable to express their consent.

Criteria are shown verbatim from the registry (in English). Final eligibility is always assessed by the study center.

Healthy volunteers: Yes

Study design

Observational model

Cohort

Study locations

France · 1 center

• NOUMEA — Noumea

Publications

• Jaspers GJ, Borsci S, van der Hoeven JG, Kuijer-Siebelink W, Lemson J. Escape room design in training crew resource management in acute care: a scoping review. BMC Med Educ. 2024 Jul 30;24(1):819. doi: 10.1186/s12909-024-05753-z. PMID 39080688
• Kristensen TS, Hannerz H, Hogh A, Borg V. The Copenhagen Psychosocial Questionnaire--a tool for the assessment and improvement of the psychosocial work environment. Scand J Work Environ Health. 2005 Dec;31(6):438-49. doi: 10.5271/sjweh.948. PMID 16425585
• Ramdani C, Desruelle AV, Vallee N, Ogier M. Neurofilament-light: Impact of chronic stress on brain. Rev Neurol (Paris). 2024 Dec;180(10):1139-1141. doi: 10.1016/j.neurol.2024.08.001. Epub 2024 Sep 10. No abstract available. PMID 39261122
• Schaufeli WB, Desart S, De Witte H. Burnout Assessment Tool (BAT)-Development, Validity, and Reliability. Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2020 Dec 18;17(24):9495. doi: 10.3390/ijerph17249495. PMID 33352940
• Klein O., Marchal C. et Van der Linden N. (2008). L'analyse de médiation en psychologie sociale expérimentale : une introduction non technique. Revue électronique de Psychologie Sociale, n°2, pp. 53-62

Identifiers

NCT: NCT06907030 · 2024PPRC08 · 2024-A02433-44

Primary sources (government registries)

• ClinicalTrials.gov (US NIH)

View this study on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗