Oksana Čikalova, Danguolė Drungilienė, Vida Mockienė

Abstract

Very often conscripted soldiers experience heavy physical loads and mental shocks and challenges.
The goal of this thesis was to analyse and to compare the factors triggering the stress to soldiers of compulsory conscription and professional military service and the ways to cope with it.
Methods applied in this thesis were as follows: investigation conducted in 2010-2011 applying quantitative data accumulation and data processing methods. 233 soldiers of compulsory conscription and professional military service that were in the service in the aircraft base of Military Air Force and were selected applying the targeted sampling method participated in the inquiry.
The statistic program package „SPSS 17 for Windows” was applied for data analysis. Levels of significance of statistical hypotheses were applied: where p<0,05 was statistically significant, p<0,01 was statistically very significant and p<0,001 was extremely statistically significant. The participants were acquainted with investigation goal and the consent of a uniformed person was received.
The results of the investigation revealed that such factors as everyday routine, military discipline, constant tiredness, impossibility to change the established day time schedule, negative emotions of other soldiers and strict particular requirements triggered stress significantly more often to the soldiers of compulsory conscription service than to the soldiers of professional service. The more strong reaction of soldiers of compulsory conscription service to stress provoked the feeling of loneliness and physical and emotional exhaustion at the end of the service day, meanwhile the soldiers of professional service had some difficulties with sleep at night and emotional exhaustion. While trying to combat the stress the soldiers of professional service significantly more often than the soldiers of compulsory conscription service used the conversation with a good friend and long walks, meanwhile the soldiers of compulsory conscription service trying to suppress the stress used to smoke significantly more often than the soldiers of professional service. Smoking as the method to conquer the stress was preferred more often by the soldiers from smaller townships.

Keyword(s): military service; soldiers; stress; analysis
DOI: 10.5200/sm-hs.2013.015
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