Page 91 - JSOM Spring 2025

An Ongoing Series

Social Determinant of Unconventional Resilience

Tactical Engagement with Family Formations

Erika “Ann” Jeschke, PhD *; Jennifer Patton, MSN ; Jared Wyma-Bradley, MD ;
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Jay Baker, MDiv ; John Dorsch, DO ; Sarah Lynn Huffman, PhD 6
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ABSTRACT
Building off our operational model, we will discuss findings are integrated into an established family formation, medic,
from our ethnographic study titled, “The Impact of Cata- team, and organizational character are refined by expanding
strophic Injury Exposure on Resilience in Special Operations experiential horizons, creating a more nuanced ability to sense,
Surgical Teams (SOST),” to establish that optimal family for- interpret, and respond to changes in the force of movement. 1
mations compose and coordinate momentum. We will use
qualitative quotes to explore the constellation of various family To achieve our goals, we will: 1) define the social determinant
formations. To achieve our goals, we will: 1) define the social of family formations and provide background on how fam-
determinant of family formations and provide background on ily systems theory is merged with the pragmatic purpose of
how we merge family systems theory with military formations; tactical formations; 2) thematize various types of family for-
2) thematize various types of family formations that optimize mations that optimize or degrade unconventional resilience;
or degrade unconventional resilience; and 3) relate tactical en- and 3) relate tactical engagement with family formations to
gagement with family formations to our metaphor of bag sets. our metaphor of bag sets. We conclude by gesturing to how
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We conclude by gesturing to how family formations encourage optimal family formations encourage political hospitality, sup-
hospitality, which allows them to dispassionately organize so- porting social relationships to enable mission success.
cial relationships that support Special Operations Forces mis-
sion success. Findings are taken from “The Impact of Catastrophic Injury
Exposure on Resilience in Special Operations Surgical Teams.”
Keywords: unconventional resilience; social determinant; family The Air Force Research Laboratory’s Institutional Review
formations; SOF medic Board approved the study as an exempt protocol. To capture
intricacies within the SOST cultural ethos, data was collected
through individual, open-ended interviews with six participants
from each of four clinical specialties represented in a SOST.
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Introduction
Additionally, focus groups and field observations were per-
Building off our operational model, we discuss findings from formed across two SOST detachments to capture team and or-
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our ethnographic study entitled: “The Impact of Catastrophic ganizational dynamics. All personally identifiable information
Injury Exposure on Resilience in Special Operations Surgical was removed. To further protect privacy and maintain confi-
Teams (SOST),” We establish that family formations create mo- dentiality, described themes do not reflect individual commen-
mentum by directing force of movement into connections that taries. All quotes are an aggregate analysis constructed from
emerge through series of events and expose the Special Opera- various SOST medic narratives that code under the respective
tion Forces (SOF) medic, team, and organization to unfamiliar theme. They sketch a holistic blueprint of the entire data set
customs, values, and norms. Family formations influence how and represent the co-ed composition of the organization.
the medic, team, and organization engage the gravity of new,
complex situations by either embracing or rejecting change in While data in this and subsequent papers focus specifically on
real time. When optimally functioning, family formations en- SOSTs, these findings may be relevant to all SOF medics, be-
able momentum to incorporate new relationships by moving cause the study focused on the phenomenon of catastrophic
with the adversity that emerges from dynamic human encoun- injury exposure in austere environments. Our approach to
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ters in any given performance space. When new relationships tactical engagement may be disruptive because it evaluates the
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*Correspondence to stlamazonia@gmail.com
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1 Dr. Erika “Ann” Jeschke is affiliated with the SURVICE Engineering, Becamp, MD. MAJ Jennifer Patton, Air Force Institute of Technology,
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Wright-Patterson AFB, OH. Jared Wyma-Bradley is the Director of Spiritual Care at Northern Virginia Mental Health Institute, Washington, DC.
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4 Col Jay Baker is affiliated with the U.S. Army Corps, Joint Base Lewis-McChord, WA. Col (Ret) John Dorsch is affiliated with the University of
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North Carolina Southeastern, Lumberton, NC. Lt Col Sarah L. Huffman is affiliated with the U.S. Air Force School of Aerospace Medicine-Air
Force Research Lab, Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, OH.
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