Non-Cognitive Personality Assessment and Risk of Injuries Among Army Trainees

• Published in: American journal of preventive medicine Vol. 52; no. 3; pp. 324 - 330
• Main Authors: Oetting, Alexis A., MPH, Garvin, Nadia U., MHS, Boivin, Michael R., MD, MPH, Cowan, David N., PhD, MPH
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Netherlands Elsevier Inc 01.03.2017; Elsevier Science Ltd
• Subjects: Adolescent; Adult; Applicants; Armed forces; Behavior; Behavioral sciences; Bodily injury; Cognitive aspects; Conditioning; Female; Fractures; Fractures, Stress - epidemiology; Fractures, Stress - etiology; Humans; Injuries; Internal Medicine; Logistic Models; Male; Men; Military Personnel - psychology; Military service; Military training; Musculoskeletal System - injuries; Personality Assessment; Personality tests; Physical activity; Physical fitness; Physical Fitness - psychology; Psychological tests; Risk assessment; Risk Factors; Stress; Trainees; United States; Women; Wounds and Injuries - epidemiology; Wounds and Injuries - etiology; Young Adult; United States > US
• ISSN: 0749-3797; 1873-2607
• DOI: 10.1016/j.amepre.2016.08.025

Introduction Low levels of pre-accession physical fitness and activity are risk factors for stress fractures and other overuse musculoskeletal injuries among military trainees. One dimension in the Tailored Adaptive Personality Assessment System (TAPAS), a non-cognitive personality test given to Army applicants, specifically assesses propensity to engage in physical activity. This dimension may serve as a surrogate measure for activity or fitness. The study examines the associations between TAPAS dimension scores and risk of musculoskeletal injuries. Methods Fifteen TAPAS dimension scores for 15,082 U.S. Army trainees entering military service in 2010 were provided by the U.S. Army Research Institute for Social and Behavioral Sciences. During 2013–2015, the associations between TAPAS dimension scores (as a continuous variable) and injuries in the first 6 months of service were evaluated using logistic regression, with the measure of association being the OR. Results The TAPAS physical conditioning dimension was associated with musculoskeletal injuries and stress fractures among both men (musculoskeletal injury, OR=0.83, 95% CI=0.79, 0.86; stress fracture, OR=0.68, 95% CI=0.57, 0.80) and women (musculoskeletal injury, OR=0.77, 95% CI=0.70, 0.85; stress fracture, OR=0.60, 95% CI=0.43, 082). No other dimensions were both significantly and consistently associated with either injury. Conclusions The TAPAS physical conditioning dimension is a strong predictor of musculoskeletal injury and stress fracture among male and female U.S. Army trainees, and may serve as a pre-accession screen for self-reported physical activity.