Michaud, K., Suurd Ralph, C., & Connick-Keefer, S. J. A. (2021). Operational stressors, psychological distress, and turnover intentions: The impact of potentially morally injurious experiences. Military psychology : the official journal of the Division of Military Psychology, American Psychological Association, 33(4), 250–263. https://doi.org/10.1080/08995605.2021.1906075

References for Operational stressors, psychological distress, and turnover intentions: The impact of potentially morally injurious experiences

California Baptist University

Amongst military personnel, cognitively demanding tasks are expected to be performed under intensive stress. According to the U.S. Department of Defence, 87% of military personnel reported experiencing at least some stress due to work. Stress severely impacts cognitive processes as it has led to the concept of mental resilience. This is the extent to which cognitive functions can endure or adapt to the effects of stress. Cognitive resources are necessary for the self-regulation of effort, attention, and emotional control. Some environmental stressors that military personnel face are heat, cold, and altitude. This affects their cognitive processes, such as attention and working memory.

Military Personnel and Stressors

The experiences that military personnel have while being deployed end up being detrimental to their mental health and the performance of the organization they belong to. Researchers use measuring events and scales to understand the effect of stressors on psychological health. The US Mental Health Advisory Team-Combat Experiences Scale (MHAT-CES) used items to measure potentially morally injurious experiences after military personnel came back from deployment. In the first study, three components were reused, as in past studies: dangerous environments, exposure to dead and injured people, and active combat. The fourth and fifth components of potentially morally injurious experiences and life threats have been divided into past components related to them. In the second study, the structure of the scale was replicated, and the results of potentially morally injurious experiences were connected with an increase in psychological distress, which can lead to wanting to leave the military. 

Operational Stressors, psychological distress, and turnover intentions: The impact of potentially morally injurious experiences

The article analyzed the impact of potentially morally injurious experiences on Canadian Armed Forces personnel deployed to Afghanistan. Potentially morally injurious experiences affect a person's post-deployment psychological distress and become a motive for leaving the force. In the life of military personnel, there are different stressors and unique challenges that play a role in the vulnerability of them experiencing psychological disturbances. Facing highly traumatic experiences such as traumatic deployments and being deployed to high-threat locations can lead to major depressive disorder (MDD), anxiety, posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), aggressive behaviors, suicidal ideations, and more. The studies being conducted here allow for more knowledge on how to properly create better-suited training and educate individuals in the military to avoid facing such high moral adversities.

Learn Before

Related

Learn After