TY - JOUR
T1 - Exploring Military Deployment and Expatriate Mental Health
T2 - A Conservation of Resources Theory Perspectives
AU - Adeti, Sampson Kudjo
AU - Amponsah-Tawiah, Kwesi
AU - Dartey-Baah, Kwasi
AU - Anlesinya, Alex
AU - Osafo, Joseph
AU - Rahim, Nurul Aisyah Awanis A.
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© The Author(s) 2025. This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/) which permits any use, reproduction and distribution of the work without further permission provided the original work is attributed as specified on the SAGE and Open Access page (https://us.sagepub.com/en-us/nam/open-access-at-sage).
PY - 2025
Y1 - 2025
N2 - As global conflicts intensify, resource-based approaches to mental health at work are becoming increasingly vital. Drawing on Conservation of Resources (COR) theory, this study examines deployment practices and mental health outcomes among military expatriates (United Nations peacekeepers within the Ghana Armed Forces). Thematic analysis of interview data reveals that military expatriate face multiple stressors and trauma triggers, contributing to significant mental health challenges. However, unit-level support during deployment emerged as a key protective resource, while pre-deployment activities have a dual impact: they build mental resilience through personal resource development but also cause short-term stress and anxiety. This study advances the limited literature on military expatriate mental health and proposes a “resource-driven military mental health model,” extending COR theory to a critically underexplored population.
AB - As global conflicts intensify, resource-based approaches to mental health at work are becoming increasingly vital. Drawing on Conservation of Resources (COR) theory, this study examines deployment practices and mental health outcomes among military expatriates (United Nations peacekeepers within the Ghana Armed Forces). Thematic analysis of interview data reveals that military expatriate face multiple stressors and trauma triggers, contributing to significant mental health challenges. However, unit-level support during deployment emerged as a key protective resource, while pre-deployment activities have a dual impact: they build mental resilience through personal resource development but also cause short-term stress and anxiety. This study advances the limited literature on military expatriate mental health and proposes a “resource-driven military mental health model,” extending COR theory to a critically underexplored population.
KW - Africa
KW - Ghana
KW - United Nations
KW - armed forces
KW - international peacekeepers
KW - mental health
KW - military deployment practices
KW - military expatiate
UR - https://www.scopus.com/pages/publications/105017704275
U2 - 10.1177/00220221251377051
DO - 10.1177/00220221251377051
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:105017704275
SN - 0022-0221
VL - 57
SP - 144
EP - 166
JO - Journal of Cross-Cultural Psychology
JF - Journal of Cross-Cultural Psychology
IS - 1
ER -
