Search Results (23)

Background: Self-esteem is a psychological term that, since its emergence in 1890 with William James, has been widely studied. Furthermore, this construct has been examined in different areas of psychology, including the clinical field, where its relationship with mental health and low levels of depression has been demonstrated. In the realm of positive psychology, its connection to resilience and life satisfaction has also been established. Evaluating self-esteem in military personnel is essential, as healthy self-esteem can enhance resilience, improve performance, and promote emotional well-being. Objective: To evaluate validity based on internal structure from the perspective of Classical Test Theory (CTT) and Item Response Theory (IRT), to obtain evidence of validity based on the relationship with other variables, and to estimate the reliability of the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale (RSES). Method: To this end, 584 military personnel from the three ranks of the Spanish Army (officers, non-commissioned officers, and professional soldiers and sailors) were evaluated, of which 511 were men (87.70%) and 72 were women (12.30%), with an age range of 18 to 66 years (M = 33.17, SD = 7.38). Results: The results indicate that the unidimensional structure of the RSES shows adequate fit indices (CFI = 0.94, TLI = 0.91, SRMR = 0.05), while the difficulty and discrimination parameters exhibited favorable values. Additionally, an acceptable reliability value was found (ɷ = 0.81; α = 0.80). Conclusions: Therefore, it is concluded that the RSES-JGA presents adequate psychometric properties of validity and reliability, making it a useful and relevant instrument for measuring self-esteem in military personnel of the Spanish Army. This will make it possible to measure the level of self-esteem in military personnel, i.e., the set of perceptions, thoughts, evaluations, feelings, and behavioral tendencies directed towards oneself, one’s own way of being, and towards one’s own body and character traits. Full article

Introduction: Soldiers constitute a professional group carrying out their duties in variable, often challenging environmental conditions, including harmful and burdensome ones. Materials and Methods: This study was conducted on a nationwide sample of 1331 soldiers. The research tool was an anonymous questionnaire comprising 48 questions. Descriptive statistics were used to describe the characteristics of the studied group. The chi-square test was employed to examine the relationship between variables. A 95% confidence interval was adopted, with a significance level of p = 0.05. Results: One in four soldiers work with low and one in five with moderate exposure to harmful chemical factors. Almost 10% of respondents lack knowledge about the types of chemical factors present during their service. One in five soldiers work with low and one in eight with moderate exposure to ionizing radiation. Approximately 5% of survey participants lack knowledge about the types of physical factors. One in three soldiers are unaware of the carcinogenic and mutagenic effects of the aforementioned factors. Conclusions: The systematic enhancement of knowledge and awareness among army members will help minimize the consequences of exposure to harmful conditions. Full article

The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between suicide risk, alcohol consumption, and attitudes towards professional psychological help among Lithuanian general population men, conscripts, and regular active duty (AD) soldiers. In total, 1195 Lithuanian adult males participated in the study: 445 men from the general population, 490 conscripts, and 260 regular AD soldiers from the Lithuanian Armed Forces. The study’s measures included: general suicide risk, alcohol consumption levels, frequency of using alcohol as a means to suppress difficult thoughts and feelings, and attitudes toward psychological help. Both military samples showed significantly lower suicide risk than men from the general population. Alcohol use as a means to suppress difficult thoughts and feelings was the most significant predictor of suicide risk and a significant mediator between alcohol consumption and suicide risk in all study groups. Another significant suicide risk predictor and mediator between alcohol consumption and suicide risk—i.e., the value of seeking psychological treatment—was found only in the conscript sample. Results of the current study suggest that there is an opportunity for intervention aimed at the attitudes toward seeking professional psychological help for conscripts. However, that might not be the case for regular AD soldiers, nor the general population of Lithuanian men. Full article

The COVID-19 pandemic posed many challenges in epidemiology, health care, and vaccinology. Pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies had to develop effective vaccines as soon as possible in order to halt the spread of infection outbreaks and enable the start of the National Vaccination Program. Firstly, medical services and security services (the army, fire brigade, and police), i.e., those most involved in the fight against the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, were included in the aforementioned program. The presented publication analyzes the amount and type of vaccination against COVID-19 and influenza among Polish soldiers. Influenza, like COVID-19, is a viral disease that can vary in its course (from mild to acute and life-threatening). Both coronaviruses and influenza viruses are characterized by high genetic variability, resulting in the need for repeated vaccination during each autumn and winter season. Acquired data comes from the Central Register of Vaccination of Professional Soldiers. The collected material was statistically processed. The average level of the phenomenon was presented as a time series using a chronological average. In the analyzed period (December 2020–December 2021), the lowest vaccinations against COVID-19 were performed in December 2020, which is due to the schedule of the National Vaccination Program in Poland. In contrast, the highest number of vaccinations were administered between April and June 2021, or approximately 70.5% of all vaccines administered. In the case of influenza, there is a clear increase in the number of vaccinations during the autumn and winter seasons, which coincides with peaks in disease during these periods. Between August 2020 and January 2021, there is a noticeable increase in the number of flu injections given, nearly 50% compared to the previous period, which may be related to the simultaneous persistence of the COVID-19 pandemic and greater attention to one’s own health. Non-mandatory vaccination is an important point in the vaccination schedule for soldiers. Numerous public campaigns combating misinformation and raising awareness of the need for immunization will help convince even more people, not only among soldiers but also the civilian population, to vaccinate. Full article

The aims of this study were to assess the common anomalies in the MRI examinations of the heads of soldiers as well as to compare the relative concentration of magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS) metabolites in the brains of soldiers with those of healthy age-matched controls. Overall, 54 professional male soldiers were included in the study group and 46 healthy, age-matched males were in the control group. The relative values of N-acetylaspartate (NAA), choline (Cho), and myoinositol (mI) to creatine (Cr) were assessed. The mean relative concentrations of metabolites were compared between the study and the control group, separately for the frontal and occipital lobes, as well as between the right and left hemispheres within the study group only. The most frequent findings in the head MRI of the soldiers were: asymmetric lateral ventricles and dilated perivascular spaces, enlargement of the subarachnoid spaces, and the presence of cavum septum pellucidum and cavum vergae; the high frequency of sinus disease should also be noted. In the frontal lobes, the mI/Cr ratio was significantly higher (p = 0.005), while the NAA/Cr ratio was lower (p = 0.001), in the group of soldiers (vs. the study group). In the occipital lobes, the NAA/Cr ratio was significantly lower (p = 0.005) in the military personnel and there was a tendency to a higher mI/Cr ratio in the soldiers’ occipital lobes (p = 0.056) (vs. the study group). Comparing the metabolites between the left and right hemispheres in soldiers preferring a right shooting position, a significantly higher mI/Cr (p < 0.001) ratio was observed in the right frontal lobe (vs. the left) and a markedly lower NAA/Cr (p = 0.003) in the right occipital lobe (vs. the left). These changes are associated with astrogliosis and neuronal loss, presumably secondary to repetitive mild traumatic brain injury. Full article

This study explored the influencing factors related to the possibility of a military colleague’s intervention by comparing the awareness of sexual violence, gender consciousness, social self-efficacy, and self-esteem of Korean occupational soldiers related to the experience of witnessing sexual violence. From 4 September to 3 November 2022, an online survey was conducted targeting occupational soldiers working in all regions of South Korea by collecting snowball samples with gender allocation applied. Subjects responded to questions about sexual violence awareness, gender consciousness, witnessing sexual violence, social self-efficacy, and self-esteem. Data were collected until the number of professional soldiers with witnessing experience met the minimum target number by checking whether they had witnessed sexual violence among the response results. The collected data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, Pearson’s correlation analysis, and logistic regression. There were 102 subjects (40.9%) who had witnessed sexual violence by their military colleagues, and there were significant differences in sexual violence awareness, gender awareness, and social self-efficacy according to whether they had witnessed sexual violence. Compared to the unexperienced group, the group who witnessed sexual violence by their military colleagues showed significantly higher sexual violence awareness by 2.01 times and social self-efficacy by 2.27 times. In order to prevent sexual violence among occupational soldiers, it is necessary for military colleagues to play the role of active bystanders and witnesses. To this end, it is necessary to develop an educational direction and bystander’s witnessing program related to the improvement of the unit’s sexual violence awareness, gender awareness, and social role as a soldier. Full article

Vaccination is a very common topic, but it is rarely raised or discussed with respect to military members. Soldiers are one of the main professional groups to be immunized on a regular basis. The military actively participates in research on new vaccine preparations. This paper presents data from 2018–2021 on vaccination among Polish soldiers. The material obtained from the Central Register of Vaccination for Professional Soldiers was analyzed using descriptive statistical methods. The number of injections performed in a given period depends on the location of the ongoing missions and the vaccination schedule specific to a given Polish Military Contingent. In Poland, soldiers undergo preventive vaccinations in accordance with the scheme developed by the Armed Forces Operational Command, taking into account the specific nature of the service, epidemiological risks and the calendar of current preventive vaccinations. Soldiers serving abroad are immunized against typhoid, hepatitis A, hepatitis B, rabies, measles, tick-borne encephalitis, Japanese encephalitis, polio, diphtheria, meningococcal disease, chickenpox, cholera and yellow fever. Regular vaccinations for soldiers are necessary to minimize the spread of infectious diseases, and they have a beneficial effect upon the effectiveness of military operations. Full article

An anticipatory stress response develops before an internal or external stimulus, which initiates a homeostasis process through a chain of responses that enable human organisms to face different threats, thus allowing them to adapt to a continuous and eliciting environment. In the current research, we analyzed the psychophysiological anticipatory anxiety response of professional soldiers prior to a real mission in an actual theater of operation. Autonomic modulation through the heart rate variability values, muscular strength manifestation, and psychological stress of 53 military personnel of Army Airmobile Forces (age: M = 35.4 years, SD = 5.88 years; height: M = 1.75 m, SD = 6.87 cm; body mass: M = 77.33 kg, SD = 11.95 kg; military duty = 14.44 years, SD = 6.43; military operation experience = 4 months, SD = 4.25 months) and a control group of 33 civil participants were analyzed. The military personnel presented significant differences in some HRV values related to the activation of sympathetic systems. We found that the military personnel presented an anticipatory anxiety response only at an autonomic level, showing an increased sympathetic modulation, but not at a psychological level, since their anxiety levels were not significantly different than those of the control civilians. In addition, this anticipatory anxiety response did not affect muscular strength manifestation, as it presented no significant differences between the military personnel and the control group. Full article

The high priority of military training programs in the army is to improve the resilience of its professional and reserve soldiers. In addition, resilience helps to maintain the optimal cognitive and physical performances necessary for mission success; it also has other positive effects that have not yet been studied. Therefore, the purpose of the current study is to understand the effect of psychological resilience (PRE) on the intention of reservists to remain in the active reserve (FMT) after the completion of combat training. In addition, we focus on the motivation (prosocial motivation (PRM) and intrinsic motivation (IMT)) and psychological capital (passion in the pursuit of long-term goals (LTGs), proactivity (PRO), and capability to harness the circumstances (SEF)), and achieved a level of competence after the completion of training (ACH). Building on the perspective of training sustainable reserve soldiers’ capabilities and the theory of psychological resilience, we hypothesize and assess the effect of psychological resilience on the intention of reservists to remain in the active reserve for future military training, as well as the mediating role of psychological capital, motivation, and the obtained training ratings. The study hypotheses are tested on a sample of 345 Lithuanian reserve soldiers. The mediating effects are tested by employing the PROCESS v3.5 macro program developed by Hayes, and bootstrap 10,000. The main findings propose that the total impact of psychological resilience is highly positive (β = 0.659, t = 7.670, p < 0.001) and influences the decision of the reservists to extend their capabilities in future military training. Furthermore, intrinsic motivation (β = 0.691, p < 0.001, and 58.6% of the total effect) and the achieved rating of completed training (β = 0.136, p < 0.01, and 21.2% of the total effect) positively mediate the relationship between psychological resilience and the intention to remain in the active reserve. Selected bootstrap confidence interval and Sobel test statistics with two-tailed probability values evidence the robustness of the mediating results. The significance of the theoretical and practical implications is discussed. Full article

Ukrainian Military Hospital retrospective analysis during a decade of conflicts (3995 records) unveils specific mental health ICD-10-CM distribution per rank and the long-lasting impact of active conflict or trench warfare. Most hospitalizations in all years of observation were among soldiers. Anxiety-related disorders have been present since ‘peacetime’, mainly among professional soldiers and high ranks, pointing to the need for rank-tailored psychological training in skills to reduce the anxiety burden. High frequency of psychoactive substance use emerged with acute conflicts and in nonprofessional soldiers during wartime. This dictates the need to strengthen the selection of military personnel, considering the tendency to addiction. Military operations multiply the hospitalizations in psychiatric hospitals. The data warn about a ‘need for free beds effect’, which is worse for soldiers. This is relevant to estimating and planning the need for hospital resources for the current situation where the general population has been recruited for defense. In the current war, tightening the rules of sobriety in units and up to a ban on the sale of alcoholic beverages in areas where hostilities are taking place is recommended. The specific impact on nonprofessional soldiers is relevant to the current war, with the general population of Ukraine recruited for defense and combat. Full article

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk factors can be categorized as non-modifiable and modifiable. Modifiable risk factors include some exogenous and behavioral factors that can be easily modified, whereas endogenous modifiable risk factors, such as hypertension, hyperlipidemia, diabetes, or obesity may be modified to a limited extend. An increased prevalence of CVDs as well as their risk factors have been observed in military personnel, as specific military-related stressors are highly correlated with acute cardiac disorders. Military pilots are a subpopulation with great CVD risk due to an accumulation of different psychological and physical stressors also considered to be CVD risk factors. This review presents data concerning CVD risk in military professionals, with a special emphasis on military pilots and crew members. We also discuss the usefulness of novel indicators related to oxidative stress, inflammation, or hormonal status as well as genetic factors as markers of CVD risk. For a correct and early estimation of CVD risk in asymptomatic soldiers, especially if no environmental risk factors coexist, the scope of performed tests should be increased with novel biomarkers. An indication of risk group among military professional, especially military pilots, enables the implementation the early preventive activities, which will prolong their state of health and military suitability. Full article

Level of physical activity positively affects health condition, correlates highly with level of physical fitness and contributes to the efficient performance of military tasks. The aim of the study was to assess the level of physical activity and body mass index of the Polish Air Force soldiers. A total of 543 professional soldiers (men) doing military service in military units of the Polish Air Force underwent the examination. The average age of examined soldiers amounted to 34.8 ± 9.0 years. In order to carry out the research, the long version of the International Physical Activity Questionnaire was used. Out of the total of 477 questionnaires that qualified for the analysis, a high level of physical activity was found among 81.1% of subjects, moderate 10.5% and low 8.4%. Average MET values were obtained in the following: job-related, relocation (transportation), housekeeping, recreation (leisure activities and sport). The average MET values were 4173 ± 5306 MET; 2371 ± 2725 MET; 2455 ± 4843 MET; 2421 ± 2802 MET, respectively. The average level of body mass index amounted to 25.98 ± 3.38 kg/m². The tested Air Force soldiers were generally characterized by a high and moderate level of physical activity. Generally, there was no difference in the level of physical activity between the flight crew and the ground staff. Full article

Physical fitness and motor skills are considered important attributes for the military, affecting their professional performance. The high physical and psychological demand that the special forces are subjected to requires the acquisition of a set of volitional skills such as resilience, effort, perseverance, or resistance to frustration, which are worthy of further research. This study aimed to analyse the perception of the special troops (commandos) in physical fitness, motor control and psychological skills. A total of 35 male soldiers that ended the commando recruit training program (21.69 ± 2.36 years old) were investigated. A questionnaire was applied to verify differences in perception of physical fitness, motor capacity, physical effort and military training during recruit training according to age, education, work experience and sports background. Descriptive statistics were used to characterize the participants. All data collected were analysed using IBM-SPSS Statistics, version 24. Our results revealed differences in the importance given to the training of motor skills within military training (χ² = 19.284; p = 0.023), conditional motor skills – speed (χ2 = 17.378; p = 0.043), coordinative motor skills—motor control (χ2 = 20.616; p = 0.014), psychological skills in a military context (χ2 = 13.730; p = 0.008), volitional skills—resistance to frustration (χ2 = 21.568; p = 0.043) and volitional skills—psychological resistance (χ2 = 29.144; p = 0.004). The participants highlighted the importance of instructors having scientific knowledge in physical education to provide military physical training to be better prepared for this purpose. We concluded that motor skills and psychological abilities tend to be equally important in the context of military training. Physical fitness and motor skill development can be considered essential in military training for most of the inquired participants. Full article

The subject of this article is the identification of coping with stress and experiencing stress in three groups of the same number of people, different in terms of their occupation: professional soldiers of the Polish Army with the rank of an officer, people employed in managerial positions, and specialists working in independent positions in the context of their age. The analysis of the literature and the research carried out refer to the concept of sustainable development. This indicates the need to take care of limiting excessive stress and improving the mental well-being of all employees, regardless of the demographic characteristics and nature of the work performed. In order to identify possible differences, three types of questionnaires meeting the criteria of psychometric correctness were used (CISS, KPS, PSS-10). The obtained results were subjected to statistical analysis using the FUZZY TOPSIS method based on multi-criteria decision-making and the fuzzy logic, which was first applied in the social science. The obtained data confirmed some differentiation within the three studied groups, as well as the modifying role of age in coping and experiencing stress. Full article

A professional soldier should be characterized not only by high physical fitness but also by high intellectual and cognitive skills. Therefore, it is important to focus on the future commanding cadre-cadets that are educated in military academies. The aim of the study was to look for correlations between the level of physical fitness and attention and academic achievements (AA) in different subjects among cadets studying at military academies. The research group consisted of students of a military academy in Poland, i.e., 228 cadets, including 31 women and 197 men. Correlations between explained and explanatory variables were assessed using Pearson’s correlation. Correlations between AA and somatic parameters and motor components were analysed using optimal regression, using the best subset method. A statistical difference was found between men and women in terms of the level of somatic and motor development; men also performed significantly better in practical military subjects. In the female group, dominant hand strength is a significant determinant of AA in civilian and theoretical military subjects. The findings suggest the need for specialized training aimed at bridging the major differences in physical fitness between men and women by placing greater emphasis on muscle strength development. Full article