Key result
Pre-course mood and sleep link to Special Forces selection but explain only ~5% of variance.
Why the study?
This study examined the association of pre-course self-reported mood state and sleep quality and quantity with subsequent success or failure in the stressful U.S. Army Special Forces Assessment and Selection course.
Do pre-course mood state and sleep quality predict success or failure in the U.S. Army Special Forces Assessment and Selection course?
Population
780 male soldiers volunteering for the U.S. Army Special Forces Assessment and Selection course in 2015-2017
Comparison
Selected versus non-selected candidates
Design
Cohort study
Follow-up
19-20 days
Authors
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Pre-course mood and sleep quality should not yet guide Special Forces candidate selection; leaves open their value in future predictive models.
Cohort (n=780)
Do pre-course mood state and sleep quality predict success or failure in the U.S. Army Special Forces Assessment and Selection course?
While pre-course mood and sleep quality differ between successful and unsuccessful Special Forces candidates, they are not strong enough to serve as accurate predictors of individual success.
Lieberman et al. (2025) conducted a cohort in High stress environment performance (Special Forces Selection) (n=780). Pre-course mood state and sleep quality/quantity was evaluated on Success or failure at SFAS (selection versus non-selection). Pre-course mood state and sleep quality were significantly associated with successful Special Forces selection, but the best-fit predictive model accounted for only 4.9% of the variance.
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