The Effects of Stress in the Military:
How Soldiers are Being Better Prepared
TJ
Bethel College

Author Note
This paper was prepared for Psychology 182 and English 101, taught by Dr. Carlson and Dr. Davis. Also, for the use as an example writing for Tj.
Abstract
Those who risk their lives every day are bound to be under stress. From performance-based consequences such as marksmanship, firing rate, and positioning to the physiological and psychological aftermath of war-induced stress, members of the militaries around the world have suffered. With ever-changing war strategies, soldiers face foreign stressors that can only be found on the battlefield. It is now a priority to address the natural responses to these stressors by conditioning the soldiers to improve and alleviate stress’s consequences for soldiers worldwide. Stress management and coping mechanisms that are being designed now will improve soldiers’ military careers.

The Effects of Stress in the Military and its Consequences:
How Soldiers are Being Better Prepared Stress is inevitable. Stress is found in children struggling to make friends, in teens coping with peer pressure, and in adults providing for their families. It can be present in the life of any individual. Military personnel are no exception to this. For military personnel, risking their lives is what they do. Stress affects members of all armed forces in many ways. Immediate, short-term effects as well as lasting, long-term effects have been found to affect many troops who are deployed. Because of the lasting imprints stress has had on members of the military, stress management and coping mechanisms that are being created now will better prepare military personnel in the future. With technology allowing for video game pre-therapy, post-therapy, and preventative screenings before deployment, reducing the common stress disorders such as Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and Generalized Anxiety Disorder is a priority for the ever-changing world of warfare.
The psychological concept of stress is not concrete because, like the wind stress is intangible. It cannot be touched, but we know it exists. According to Merriam-Webster’s Dictionary, stress is “a state of mental tension and worry caused by problems in your life, work, etc.” Stress is defined in soldier’s lives. Stressors that may potentially become harmful in the future need to be treated with various therapy options to prevent a long-term harmful effect. Training soldiers is necessary. Intense training decreases initial stress levels decrease in “live” scenarios. Stress may be thought to affect soldiers’ performance which includes marksmanship. Under duress, soldiers need to be able to out-perform the enemy. To be able to withstand stressors can mean the difference between life and death. A study by Hancock and Szalma (2008), showed that across the board, testosterone levels increased while stress levels decreased during performance exercises. In the same study, it was found that “[Soldiers] can tolerate high levels of either overload or under load without substantial change in performance” (Hancock et al., 2008, p. 6). Being able to endure large amounts of stress and still perform well is highly valued in a combatant. This type of a combatant has been trained well enough to withstand stress and be able to perform well because of it. Many believe that the overabundance of stressors leads to disastrous consequences for soldiers. Post Traumatic Stress Disorder is one of the most common long-term consequences in the military. The early form of PTSD was presented in 1980 in the third edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-III) (Foy, 1992). In recent history, it became recognized primarily through the Vietnam War. According to Foy (1992), there are many reasons why soldiers are returning home with devastating mental consequences. The brutality of guerilla warfare, the undisclosed enemy, and the absence of enemy lines are some of many, which led to the prominent PTSD diagnosis. Guerilla warfare uses gruesome techniques. Small squads will ambush or raid larger immovable army forces. It is effective in cases where terrain is the ally of those who know it. In the Vietnam War, the absence of enemy lines and an undisclosed enemy were two of the most difficult cause of PTSD. For soldiers, deployment itself can produce enough internal stress to show in their actions immediately; however, a case study by Kearney, Creamer, Marshall, and Goyne (2003), shows that symptoms of PTSD have been found to delay recognition of the disorder for over 40 years. By having such a long delay between the initial trigger and the response, veterans are continuously being diagnosed for PTSD and General Anxiety Disorder. Often these diagnoses are closely related with the low-magnitude of constant stressors. This is commonly found in nonoperational soldiers. Zoroya concluded in a study that this low-magnitude might lead to PTSD more often than a single, critical event in a soldier’s life (as cited in Kearney et al., 2003). The constant stress put on nonoperational military personnel is able to interfere with both mental and physical aspects of the soldier’s life. This is why it is dangerous for nonoperational military personnel to not be rotated frequently. In another study by Kearney et al. (2003), PTSD is often regarded as a visual overload. Witnessing evidence of the brutality and the mutilation of other humans, members of the Australian Defense Force who have suffered heavy concentrations of repeated guerrilla warfare tactics have shown enormous increases in PTSD and other debilitating mental conditions. Studies have shown multiple, effective ways to help reduce PTSD in soldiers being initially deployed, in active duty, and when they return home. For the first time being deployed, many branches of the military require tests to be completed before attending Basic Training. These tests screen who may be in need of more attention, who will need counseling, or who is unfit for active duty. For example, the National Guard Resiliency Program is an online training guide that is designed to improve mental toughness for those who are going into Basic Training, and this program is to be used throughout soldiers’ military careers. In addition, the Naval Center Combat & Operational Stress Control, or NCCOSC, also has a training system. The program’s goal is “to improve the psychological health of Marines and Sailors through comprehensive educational programs that are designed to build resilience for the treatment of combat and operational stress injuries” (Morrison, 2012, p. 287). Taking preventative measures is an important step to the future of warfare and the mental health of soldiers around the world. In a study conducted by Zoroya, there was a “staggering 80 percent reduction in soldiers developing behavioral health illnesses when proactive efforts were put in place to counsel and educate soldiers about mental illness” (as cited in Morrison, 2012, p. 279). This study was published in the American Journal of Psychiatry because it showed that 70 percent fewer soldiers were being sent home for mental health reasons. This is a direct result of more aggressive screening and treatments in preventing behavioral health illnesses in soldiers. It has been shown by Morrison (2012) that 1 in 35 members of the military who go through intense preventative training will require more assistance while without the intensive training the ratio drops to 1 in 8. In the technology age, the United States military is using its resources to better train and give assistance to personnel. T2 was created: a virtual reality gaming system in which smells, sights, vibrations, and tastes are utilized to “transport” the users into an alternate state. This treatment is typically used for soldiers who have become detached from emotions regarding the trauma they experienced (Morrison, 2012). Using technology to better train, prepare, and treat those whom PTSD afflicts have been created in various forms. The success of the T2 gaming system is easily measured by the results of the gamers who train with the program. Seeing the increase in better stress therapy with technology solidifies that technology and the advanced preparation and treatment for PTSD has caused a drastic decrease in the personnel being diagnosed with the disorder. Stress is a common, everyday occurrence but can be detrimental to the health of one under too much stress. Due to the nature of their profession, military personnel are constantly being bombarded with foreign stressors. Between the immediate, short-term effects and the lasting effects, stress has made a difference in mental health and performance. Managing stress is an important opportunity for future advancement in warfare. By keeping soldiers in good mental health, will create better soldiers in the military. The styles of combat and foreign stressors are continually changing. Therefore having coping mechanisms and other stress management techniques available to soldiers will create better soldiers, psychologically and physically.

References
Foy, D. W. (1992). Treating PTSD: Cognitive-behavioral strategies. New York: Guilford Press. Hancock, P. A., & Szalma, J. L. (2008). Performance under stress. Ashgate Publishing Company Limited. 6, 212-218.
Kearney, G., Creamer, M., Marshall, R., & Goyne, A. (2003). Military Stress and performance: The Australian Defence Force experience. Melbourne University Press.
Morrison, M. (2012). The inside battle. Mustang, OK: Tate Publishing.
Stress [Def. 1]. (n.d.). In Merriam Webster Online, Retrieved November 18, 2013 , from http://www.easybib.com/reference/guide/apa/dictionary