Entertainment and the mental well-being of UK troops

Entertainment and the mental well-being of troops

A new report 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 service personnel against psychological disorders.

The report, released today, 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.
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