Mental Health of Military Personnel Approaching Job Maturity

Abstract

Mental health is an expression of emotions which signifies a successful adaptation to a range of demands. Psychological well-being is one of the most significant behavioral aspects of those military personnel who have spent their quality lifetime in the service of nation. They have made best use of their abilities to enjoy life and procure a balance between life activities and efforts to achieve psychological well-being. Therefore, objective of the present paper was to study the level of mental health and its various dimensions including psychological well-being and psychological distress among those military personnel who are at the verge of their job maturity and at the same time to explore the relationship among positive and negative aspects of mental health. To explore this relationship standardized psychological instruments pertaining to mental health were administered on a group of 100 (17 JCOs and 83 Jawans) military personnel belonging to different units/regiments, and who are at the maturity of their service. It is expected that defense personnel score higher on psychological well-being have better mental health. Whereas, on the other hand, individuals with lower scores experience psychological distress. The results are interpreted in the light of the Indian military context.