title: Rest and recuperation in the UK Armed Forces.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Recent epidemiological evidence suggests that military personnel commonly remain psychologically resilient in the face of adversity they face on deployment. However, the processes that promote resilience have not been well assessed within the UK military. For many years, the UK Armed Forces have operated a policy of rest and recuperation (R&R), which refers to the brief period during which troops return home when on an operational tour of duty. While R&R is thought to play an import ant role in promoting recovery and well-being, there is as yet no empirical evidence to support its effectiveness.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To explore whether R&R promotes well-being and recovery from the strains of deployment in military personnel.
  
  
  METHODS
  Participants completed self-report measures of mental health and exposure to potentially traumatic events (PTEs), as well as an R&R Recovery Questionnaire (R&RRQ).
  
  
  RESULTS
  Statistical analysis indicated that the R&RRQ was a reliable measure within the sample of 97 subjects. Participants who reported recovery following R&R reported fewer symptoms of mental health difficulties. However, increased deployment exposure to PTEs was associated with feeling less recovered at the end of R&R.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  These preliminary data suggest that R&R can be useful for troops if they can use the time to recover. This study's results are relevant to policymakers and leaders in the military and other groups placed in challenging environments but more work is needed to understand how R&R works and to maximize its capacity to promote well-being among military personnel.
authors.affiliation: Royal Holloway, University of London, Egham, TW20 0EX Surrey, UK, laura_parsloe01@hotmail.co.uk.
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Parsloe
authors.affiliation: Academic Department of Military Mental Health, Institute of Psychiatry, King's College London, SE5 9RJ London, UK.
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Jones
authors.affiliation: Academic Department of Military Mental Health, Institute of Psychiatry, King's College London, SE5 9RJ London, UK.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Fertout
authors.affiliation: Royal Holloway, University of London, Egham, TW20 0EX Surrey, UK.
authors.forename: O
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Luzon
authors.affiliation: Academic Department of Military Mental Health, Institute of Psychiatry, King's College London, SE5 9RJ London, UK.
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Greenberg
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D055826:Afghan Campaign 2001-; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D054542:Iraq War, 2003-2011; D008297:Male; D001523:Mental Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000517:prevention & control / Q000523:psychology*; D008606:Mental Processes; D008889:Military Personnel / Q000523:psychology* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D063868:Patient Outcome Assessment; D017060:Patient Satisfaction; D010549:Personal Satisfaction; D012063:Relaxation; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012146:Rest; D057566:Self Report; D012944:Social Support; D006113:United Kingdom / Q000453:epidemiology
keywords: Leave; PTSD; R&R; mental health; military; recovery.