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The General Military Support Scale: An examination of factor structure and psychological correlates.

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Title: The General Military Support Scale: An examination of factor structure and psychological correlates.
Authors: Straud, Casey L. (AUTHOR), Buccellato, Kiara H. (AUTHOR), Vacek, Sarah (AUTHOR), Hale, Willie J. (AUTHOR), Baker, Monty T. (AUTHOR), Isler, William C. (AUTHOR), Litz, Brett T. (AUTHOR), McNally, Richard J. (AUTHOR), Peterson, Alan L. (AUTHOR)
Source: Military Psychology. 2026, Vol. 38 Issue 3, p277-287. 11p.
Subjects: Factor structure, Social support, Military service, Mental health, Teams, Trust, Psychometrics
Abstract: Social support is an important protective factor against psychological health problems secondary to potentially traumatic events experienced during deployment in military populations. Measures of military social support are available but are often constrained to a single construct, requiring multiple measures to be administered. A brief tool that assesses multiple sources of support is needed. Accordingly, we examined the psychometric characteristics of a novel measure of military social support, the General Military Support Scale (GMSS), and its relationship with psychological health outcomes. Participants (N = 1,145) were U.S. medical service members deployed to Iraq. A sequential approach using exploratory structural equation modeling (ESEM) and confirmatory factor analyses was completed to examine the GMSS. Initial analyses supported a 3-factor solution with moderately correlated factors representative of perceived military unit belongingness, military unit trust, and non-military support (from significant others and the public). Bifactor-ESEM best fit the data and supported a well-defined general factor and strong loadings on specific factors, suggesting the utility of a GMSS total and three subscale scores. Findings provide initial evidence for the GMSS as a reliable and valid instrument of military social support that is significantly related to psychological health outcomes. The GMSS offers a brief measure to assess various social supports in the military unit and from nonmilitary sources that can screen and monitor service members. Future research is needed to further validate the psychometric properties of the GMSS and its generalizability across different military samples. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
Copyright of Military Psychology is the property of Taylor & Francis Ltd and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites without the copyright holder's express written permission. Additionally, content may not be used with any artificial intelligence tools or machine learning technologies. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)
Database: Psychology and Behavioral Sciences Collection
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  Data: The General Military Support Scale: An examination of factor structure and psychological correlates.
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  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Straud%2C+Casey+L%2E%22">Straud, Casey L.</searchLink> (AUTHOR)<br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Buccellato%2C+Kiara+H%2E%22">Buccellato, Kiara H.</searchLink> (AUTHOR)<br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Vacek%2C+Sarah%22">Vacek, Sarah</searchLink> (AUTHOR)<br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Hale%2C+Willie+J%2E%22">Hale, Willie J.</searchLink> (AUTHOR)<br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Baker%2C+Monty+T%2E%22">Baker, Monty T.</searchLink> (AUTHOR)<br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Isler%2C+William+C%2E%22">Isler, William C.</searchLink> (AUTHOR)<br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Litz%2C+Brett+T%2E%22">Litz, Brett T.</searchLink> (AUTHOR)<br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22McNally%2C+Richard+J%2E%22">McNally, Richard J.</searchLink> (AUTHOR)<br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Peterson%2C+Alan+L%2E%22">Peterson, Alan L.</searchLink> (AUTHOR)
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  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="JN" term="%22Military+Psychology%22">Military Psychology</searchLink>. 2026, Vol. 38 Issue 3, p277-287. 11p.
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  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Factor+structure%22">Factor structure</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Social+support%22">Social support</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Military+service%22">Military service</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Mental+health%22">Mental health</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Teams%22">Teams</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Trust%22">Trust</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Psychometrics%22">Psychometrics</searchLink>
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  Data: Social support is an important protective factor against psychological health problems secondary to potentially traumatic events experienced during deployment in military populations. Measures of military social support are available but are often constrained to a single construct, requiring multiple measures to be administered. A brief tool that assesses multiple sources of support is needed. Accordingly, we examined the psychometric characteristics of a novel measure of military social support, the General Military Support Scale (GMSS), and its relationship with psychological health outcomes. Participants (N = 1,145) were U.S. medical service members deployed to Iraq. A sequential approach using exploratory structural equation modeling (ESEM) and confirmatory factor analyses was completed to examine the GMSS. Initial analyses supported a 3-factor solution with moderately correlated factors representative of perceived military unit belongingness, military unit trust, and non-military support (from significant others and the public). Bifactor-ESEM best fit the data and supported a well-defined general factor and strong loadings on specific factors, suggesting the utility of a GMSS total and three subscale scores. Findings provide initial evidence for the GMSS as a reliable and valid instrument of military social support that is significantly related to psychological health outcomes. The GMSS offers a brief measure to assess various social supports in the military unit and from nonmilitary sources that can screen and monitor service members. Future research is needed to further validate the psychometric properties of the GMSS and its generalizability across different military samples. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
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  Data: <i>Copyright of Military Psychology is the property of Taylor & Francis Ltd and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites without the copyright holder's express written permission. Additionally, content may not be used with any artificial intelligence tools or machine learning technologies. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract.</i> (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)
PLink https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&site=eds-live&db=pbh&AN=193251217
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              Text: 2026
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