title: The role of chaplains in maintaining the psychological health of military personnel: an historical and contemporary perspective.
abstract: For many hundred of years, military forces have included chaplains of various faiths. Although these personnel mainly concentrate on providing for the religious and spiritual needs of the armed forces, they also contribute to the mental health of service personnel. This article provides a historical overview of military chaplains, examines their contributions to the psychological health of allied forces in World War I and World War II, and offers an overview of the scope of their present and future mental health related activities. The importance of the relationship between medical officers and chaplains in diagnosing and treating mental health problems is also discussed. We conclude that chaplains are capable of contributing significantly to the mental health of armed forces personnel if they are able to do so in informal and collaborative way.
authors.affiliation: Weston Education Centre, 10 Cutcombe Road, London SE5 9RJ, UK.
authors.forename: Rachel L
authors.initials: RL
authors.lastname: Seddon
authors.forename: Edgar
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Jones
authors.forename: Neil
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Greenberg
mesh_terms: D049673:History, 20th Century; D006801:Humans; D008889:Military Personnel / Q000266:history / Q000523:psychology*; D010327:Pastoral Care / Q000266:history; D024382:Professional Role; D014481:United States; D047828:World War I; D047789:World War II