Psychological screening in the Australian Defence Force: an historical and contemporary analysis of what works

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

3 Downloads (Pure)

Abstract

With a rapid and significant rise in psychological screening within the Australian Defence Force (ADF) over the past 20 years, ambiguity has developed between a psychological screen and a psychological assessment used for pre-employment and pre-deployment selection purposes. Additionally, confusion persists around what constitutes a mental health or psychology screen and when it should be used. To provide greater clarification, the origins and purpose of screening for selection for pre-employment and pre-deployment in the ADF and its current uses are explored in this article. A review of contemporary and historical literature examined the use of screening for military selection. It was concluded that screening for selection is useful when estimating traits such as intelligence in pre-employment selection and identifying current mental illness for pre-employment and pre-deployment selection. However, screening is not—and has never been—successful in identifying those who may be predisposed to developing mental distress in the future. The review, therefore, suggests a more nuanced approach to psychological screening for selection in the ADF. Recommendations are made to better understand and standardise the purpose of screening and to consider using different screening tools in a selection versus a mental health support context.
Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)41-49
Number of pages9
JournalJournal of military and veterans’ health
Volume33
Issue number1
Publication statusPublished - Jan 2025

Bibliographical note

Copyright 2025 Journal of Military and Veterans’ Health (JMVH). Version archived for private and non-commercial use with the permission of the author/s and according to publisher conditions. For further rights please contact the publisher.

Keywords

  • psychological screen
  • selection
  • mental illness
  • mental distress
  • military

Cite this