Sexual support for military personnel
Sex is an essential aspect of life that plays a crucial role in human development and wellbeing. It influences how individuals interact with others and themselves, their physical and mental health, and the overall quality of their lives. For service members, who may spend extended periods away from home and undergo extreme stressors, maintaining a fulfilling and satisfying sexual relationship can be challenging. Military leaders have therefore recognized the need to provide adequate sexual support to their personnel to facilitate psychosexual and emotional stability among them.
Sexual support involves providing access to resources and education on sexual issues, such as contraception, STD/STI prevention, and reproductive health services. It also includes offering counseling and therapy services to help soldiers deal with various sexual concerns, including intimacy, arousal, and performance problems. In addition, it entails ensuring that the environment is conducive to healthy sexual activity, which means addressing barriers such as cultural norms, misconceptions, and stigma around sex. The military has established regulations and policies governing sexual conduct within its ranks to promote safety, respect, and responsible behavior. These include guidelines on consent, age, gender, and same-sex relationships.
Sexual support provides opportunities for soldiers to connect with each other through meaningful interactions, such as flirting, dating, and romance. Such engagements improve interpersonal skills, communication, empathy, trust, and self-esteem. They create a sense of belonging, reduce isolation, enhance resilience, and mitigate the impact of trauma. Sexual support, thus, contributes to better mental health by reducing anxiety, depression, PTSD, substance abuse, and suicide risks.
Sexual support has been successful in helping service members maintain healthy sexual functioning despite operational demands.
Studies have shown that those who engage in regular and satisfying sexual activities tend to report lower levels of stress and improved sleep quality than their counterparts who do not. Similarly, service members who receive adequate sexual education are less likely to engage in high-risk behaviors like unprotected sex, which can lead to unwanted pregnancies or STD/STI transmission.
Providing access to contraceptives reduces the risk of unplanned pregnancy among female service members and improves their overall wellbeing.
Sexual support plays an essential role in facilitating psychosexual and emotional stability among military personnel. By addressing barriers to healthy sexual activity, providing resources and services, promoting responsible behavior, encouraging connections, and enhancing personal development, it helps soldiers maintain optimal mental and physical health. The military should therefore continue investing in this critical aspect of soldier welfare to ensure they serve effectively while safeguarding their personal lives.
How does sexual support facilitate psychosexual and emotional stability among soldiers?
Prior research has established that providing sexual support to soldiers enhances their overall psychosexual and emotional wellbeing by ensuring that they have access to safe, healthy, and consensual sexual relationships. Specifically, it helps them develop trust, intimacy, and mutual respect with their partners, thus enhancing their feelings of connectedness and belonging.