Social support profiles, mental health, and future orientation in military trainees: implications for clinical social work and health care practice.

Latent class analysis identified five distinct social support profiles among military trainees in Taiwan.

• Sample consisted of 2325 military trainees in Taiwan.
• Latent class analysis was the statistical method used to identify the profiles.
• The profiles varied in levels of social support received by trainees.
• The profiles were designed to translate interpersonal dynamics into indicators for health and military social workers.

Family cohesion and extraversion predicted membership in higher-support profiles.

• Family cohesion was identified as a predictor of belonging to higher social support profile classes.
• Extraversion was identified as a predictor of belonging to higher social support profile classes.
• These factors were examined in the context of the psychosocial transition during military training.
• Specific odds ratios or effect sizes were not reported in the abstract.

Trainees in the low-support profile reported elevated depressive symptoms compared to other profiles.

• The low-support profile was identified as a clinically significant risk group.
• Elevated depressive symptoms were associated with membership in the low-support profile.
• The psychosocial transition during military training was noted as posing a significant public health risk.
• Specific scale scores or effect sizes were not reported in the abstract.

Trainees in the low-support profile demonstrated weakened future orientation.

• Future orientation was examined alongside depressive symptoms as an outcome variable.
• The low-support profile was associated with weakened future orientation.
• Both depressive symptoms and future orientation together characterized the low-support group as a clinically significant risk group.
• Specific scale scores or effect sizes were not reported in the abstract.

The identified social support profiles have implications for risk stratification, early screening, and targeted interventions in integrated healthcare systems.

• The profiles are described as supporting risk stratification and early screening.
• Targeted micro- and mezzo-level interventions are identified as appropriate responses.
• Clinical social work and health care practice within integrated healthcare systems are the intended application contexts.
• The study framed findings as supporting preventive, health-integrated responses to psychosocial risks in military training.