2003 IMTA Proceedings - International Military Testing Association

• When total wellbeing scores were compared across intention to leave categories a
significant effect was identified for intention, post hoc comparisons showed very clearly
that those intending to remain until retirement, or those who have not considered
leaving, having a higher level of wellbeing than those who have considered leaving.
When wellbeing is compared across number of deployments there was no main effect.
DISCUSSION
The results presented above indicate that the wellbeing items from the Australian
Unity Wellbeing Index are a useable measure for the ADF. The psychometric properties of
the scale constructed by the items are sound and correlates well with the single wellbeing
item (Satisfaction with overall life).
Overall wellbeing in the ADF is less than in the general population, with the main
differences in the areas of connection with the community, personal relationships, and
satisfaction with achievements. Within the ADF the main differences occurring for junior
members of the ADF in these areas and also in satisfaction with their standards of living.
This is an important result as it indicates where the priority of effort should be put to
improve wellbeing overall.
Comparison across a number of important organisational (intention to leave, time
since lst deployment) indicators indicate that wellbeing may have a causative effect on
these. Correlation analysis with other organisational markers shows that wellbeing has a
good relationship with a number of markers. The bi-directional nature of these analyses
means that there is significant scope to further examine these variables in a more complex
model of wellbeing and organisational attitudes and behaviour. There is significant scope
particularly for model testing procedures such as structural equation modelling.
These results indicate that wellbeing is a concept that can be measured with some
utility in the ADF and with immediate applicability, particularly in terms of comparison
with the general community and in terms of targeting service delivery and policies to better
meet wellbeing needs.
CONCLUSION
Wellbeing is a concept of great promise as an organisational tool. It has a clear
relationship with a key organisational behaviour (intention to leave) and its relationship
with a number of important organisational markers suggests that there is significant scope
for further analysis and model testing in particular.
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45 th Annual Conference of the International Military Testing Association
Pensacola, Florida, 3-6 November 2003