Serena Bradford

Document Type

Presentation

Date Created

4-2020

Embargo Date

4-28-2020

Abstract

The purpose of this study is to determine if there is a correlation between mobility and loneliness in Active Duty Service Members. Suicide is the 2nd leading cause of death in the military with suicide rates hitting a record high. According to the Department of Defense’s 2018 Annual Suicide Report, 325 active duty service members, 139 from the Army alone, committed suicide in 2018. There is limited research on the impact mobility has on loneliness. More research on the causes of loneliness could be the key needed to prevent suicide in the Army. I decided to focus on the correlation between mobility and loneliness due to the nomadic nature of military. Military families move on average every 2 to 3 years, which is three times more than their civilian counterparts. To see if there is a correlation between loneliness and mobility, a 30-question survey was created. Active Duty Service Members in the U.S. Army will be recruited using a nonrandom snowball sampling method and will be given this research survey on Qualtrics. Questions were derived from the UCLA loneliness scale and will also include demographic questions and questions on their mobility. A MANCOVA Analysis will be conducted to find the correlation between the service member’s mobility, loneliness score and the different demographic questions answered. All responses and final results will be anonymous. I hypothesize that service members stationed farther from their home of record and individuals that feel like they do not have control over where they live will display a higher loneliness score. Additionally, I believe that service members that are highly mobile, calculated by the amount of times moved, will also have a higher loneliness score. The impact one’s relationship status has, and the service member’s length of service will also be looked at.

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Comments

This presentation is a finalist for the Undergraduate Social Sciences, Education, Business Research Excellence Award.

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