Introduction
Stress is a mental illness that affects a big part of people’s lives and primarily emanates from the workplace culture as some jobs involve more stressful situations than others. The chosen population is military personnel, primarily active-duty members. The rationale for selecting military personnel is due to the evidence that the armed service is one of the most stressful jobs, as there is a high risk of exposure to potentially traumatic events, including injuries and death, which increases the incidences of stress (Rivera et al., 2018). The military life stressors strongly influence the psychological well-being of active-duty service members and their families.
Explained Stressors
The main stressors in military life include workload, deployment struggles, ineffective leadership, social relationships, isolation from family, role ambiguity, cultural environment, lack of control, integration challenges, and uncertainty about career progression. The workload in military operations includes short deadlines and excessive demands on quality. In addition, the military culture entails working more than defined work hours with inadequate rest breaks. The situation increases the incidence of stress as there is a strong association between anxiety and having too much work to do in a limited time.
Deployment is a constant possibility for active-duty service members, which leads to significant stress due to the emotional cycle of deployment. Service members are likely to develop disorders when they witness the death of unit members and personal injury as they experience intense fear, leading to stressful situations. Ineffective leadership leads to a stressful work environment as service members lack support regarding emotionally demanding work from superiors. The inability of superiors to give feedback about work issues leads to strain as work-related stress depends on subordinates’ perception regarding the effectiveness of communication with superiors.
Social relationships focus on military personnel’s concerns about workplace relations with colleagues and unit leaders. Unsupportive colleagues may increase the incidence of stress as service members do not have avenues to talk openly about their issues. Isolation from family and loved ones significantly strain military personnel due to a lack of emotional support. The lack of avenues to help soldiers reduce anxiety and strain while on duty results in stressful working conditions (Rivera et al., 2018). Role ambiguity where the military demands are incompatible with one’s expectations creates a stressful environment. Soldiers are highly stressed when expected work is not assigned to them and when the tasks allocated do not conform with their level of experience. Most soldiers are stressed when placed on clerical duties as it does not conform with their training.
The difference in cultural environment between garrison and mission deployment leads to anxiety regarding norms and values. The cultural ambiguities and differences in values are particularly relevant for deployed troops in international missions. Lack of control leads to psychological issues as army members must adhere to strict military rules. Service members must adhere to strict regulations conveyed by their seniors and thus have no authority to choose the nature of the job and control over breaks and situations that amount to work-related stress. Integration into civilian life after deployment creates mental health issues as there is a lack of measures to help soldiers transition back to civilian life. This distorted integration period leads to stress as the active-duty members find it hard to assimilate to normal life. Lastly, service members are stressed about the uncertainty that accompanies military careers. Job insecurity is associated with emotional distress, mental exhaustion, and job dissatisfaction which increase stress levels among soldiers.
Stressors Importance
The discussion emphasizes that military personnel’s most prominent stress sources are associated with job content, including physical, emotional, and work-related demands. The determination of military life stressors and the evaluation of their likely severity is essential in developing a comprehensive understanding of military occupation stress. Evaluating different settings and military service phases is vital in developing stress-reducing strategies that enhance unit performance and promote the health of service members (Stahl & Goldstein, 2019). In addition, the assessment can help focus on the stressor’s contribution to future research regarding the topic. The nature of military work has significantly expanded in terms of new responsibilities and tasks; thus, it’s vital to understand how the changing landscape affects military personal mental health.
Program Description
Stress leads to tense muscles and shallow breathing; thus, stress management techniques (SMT) are designed to counter these psychological effects. The most prominent SMT used by military personnel includes progressive muscle relaxation, controlled breathing, and transcend meditation. The progressive muscle relaxation (PMR) technique resonates with how people manage stress by directing the tension to large muscles. PMR helps individuals relax their large muscles, leading to the relaxation of other body components.
The controlled breathing (CB) technique entails inducing relaxation through diaphragm movements. The diaphragm movement helps individuals attain deeper and more relaxing breaths, leading to mental relaxation (Seaward, 2018). CB technique lasts from seconds to minutes as an individual breathes through the nose, holds the breath, and exhales slowly through the mouth, thus lowering anxiety and blood pressure. Transcendental meditation entails closing one’s eyes and repeating a mantra as a way to reach a state of inner peace. The goal of the transcendental meditation technique is the state of enlightenment as people experience an inner calmness, a quiet state of least excitation, even when dynamically busy, thus lowering blood pressure and stress.
Program Implementation
The program implementation mission is to create a perpetual shift in physiological and emotional response to stress by creating self-awareness to control emotions, the primary source of stress. The program has defined the stressors and stress management plans that can be integrated to create an individualized stress management model (ISMT). The ISMT model can be implemented through the Army Wellness Centers (AWC) located on military installations where service members are deployed and garrisons. The facilities are key in preventing work-related hazards propagated by service members who have mental illnesses, including work stress. The staff will include service members enlisted in the military with healthcare specialties as they understand the organizational culture. The AWC staffing should be based on the projected troop population at a given location to maintain appropriate ratios (Rivera et al., 2018). The centers are financed by the Department of Defense (DoD), and the staff includes a health director, health educators, and health promotion technicians. The AWC should be equipped with state-of-the-art equipment that identifies the client’s stress levels.
Program Obstacles
Barriers to implementation include service members’ attitudes towards mental health conditions and treatment. Service members are the epitome of strength and thus are free from mental health challenges. The stoic nature of army personnel hinders stress management in the force as service members decline treatment (Acosta et al., 2018). The change in attitude can be influenced by enacting mandatory self-awareness and stress testing programs. This can enhance the reception of stress management techniques as all service members will be required to participate, thus reducing stigma. Confidentiality is a significant barrier in mental healthcare due to the concern that treatment is not confidential. The AWC should improve confidentiality regarding medical reports by introducing privacy agreements that specify the medical information shared outside the workplace.
Health Professionals
The health professionals who can support the ISMT program are licensed and non-licensed practitioners. The licensed professionals include psychotherapists and psychiatrists who administer mental health assessments and medications. In addition, they are trained to provide motivational interviews based on mental health conditions to help identify stressors while developing a stress management plan (Seaward, 2018). Their medical training allows them to conduct health assessments and provide feedback to clients. The non-licensed practitioners include meditation teachers who can help individuals learn the mindfulness technique to master a calming effect.
Program Measurements
The success of the stress management program can be measured through performance measures, including job absenteeism, turnover, and medical costs. The program can increase job satisfaction leading to fewer withdrawals and reduced healthcare expenses to treat stress complications. The health professionals should provide health education and coaching to impact client knowledge and perceptions regarding stress risks at an individual level. The staff can contact service members to schedule appointments at least twice a month to improve the viability of the stress management techniques. When appropriate, they can contact medical home services, including garrison medical professionals, to initiate client referrals to the army centers (Acosta et al., 2018). Lastly, the mental health experts should market their services and dispense ISMT monitoring data to army readiness initiatives. These initiatives help service members meet basic mental requirements regarding deployments.
Conclusion
The military job description is to defend a country; thus, service members must be physically and emotionally stable. The military authorities should address mental illnesses such as stress due to work conditions to ensure the service members’ holistic well-being. There is a need to appoint transformational leaders in key positions to create an egalitarian management model that fosters soldiers’ empowerment and enhances integration and commitment. Transformational leaders can create a healthy working environment that reduces stress among service members.
References
Acosta, J. D., Huang, W., Edelen, M. O., Cerully, J. L., Soliman, S., & Chandra, A. (2018). Measuring barriers to mental health care in the military. Rand Corporation.
Rivera, L. O., Ford, J. D., Hartzell, M. M., & Hoover, T. A. (2018). An evaluation of army wellness center clients’ health-related outcomes. American Journal of Health Promotion, 32(7), 1526-1536.
Seaward, B. (2018). Managing stress: Principles and strategies for health and well-being (9th ed.). Jones & Bartlett Learning.
Stahl, B., & Goldstein, E. (2019). A mindfulness-based stress reduction workbook (2nd ed.). New Harbinger Publications.