How do intimate relationships mediate psychological effects of trauma, moral conflict, and operational stress on soldiers' identity?
Intimate relationship is a human experience that has been researched extensively for its role in promoting healthy mental states and physical wellbeing. In the context of military operations where personnel are exposed to traumatic experiences, moral dilemmas, and operational stressors, it becomes an essential factor that moderates the impact these events have on their identities. This article explores how intimate relationships can mitigate these negative outcomes.
Traumatic Experiences
Trauma is defined as exposure to shocking or life-threatening events that cause significant distress. It is associated with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), which affects cognitive processes like memory and emotional regulation. Soldiers who engage in combat may be exposed to traumatic episodes such as death, injury, torture, kidnapping, or sexual assault. When this happens, they develop feelings of fear, guilt, anger, shame, anxiety, depression, and other negative emotions. These are often accompanied by intrusive memories, nightmares, flashbacks, avoidance, hypervigilance, and other symptoms. The psychological burden placed upon them by these experiences can significantly impact their self-concept.
Moral Conflict
Soldiers face moral challenges in situations where they must choose between conflicting duties, values, and priorities.
Decisions about whether to shoot an innocent civilian, order another soldier to do so, or kill themselves to protect others can lead to feelings of guilt, regret, and doubt. Intimate relationships help alleviate the pain and isolation that come with these difficult choices by providing a sense of support, empathy, and understanding. They provide a safe space for sharing thoughts and emotions, reducing the need to keep everything inside. This helps soldiers feel less alone, more confident in their choices, and ultimately more secure in their identity.
Operational Stressors
Military operations involve high levels of demand and complexity, leading to increased physical and mental exhaustion. This is known as operational stress, which can cause sleep disorders, irritability, mood swings, withdrawal from social activities, and other negative effects. Intimacy allows soldiers to release tension, recharge their batteries, and experience moments of respite from the pressures of combat. It provides a sense of restoration and normalcy that strengthens their resilience against the stresses of military life.
Intimate relationships play a vital role in mitigating the psychological impacts of traumatic events, moral conflict, and operational stress on soldiers' identities. They promote positive mental health outcomes such as reduced PTSD symptoms, improved self-esteem, better decision-making skills, enhanced interpersonal communication, and greater overall wellbeing. Investing in relationships can be an effective way to support troops during deployment and beyond.
How do intimate relationships mediate psychological effects of trauma, moral conflict, and operational stress on soldiers' identity?
The experience of war is often linked with psychological disorders that affect soldiers' sense of self and interpersonal relationships (e. g. , Posttraumatic Stress Disorder, PTSD; Dearing & Simon, 2019). Accordingly, soldiers are vulnerable to negative outcomes such as loneliness, low social support, and marital dysfunction (Bray et al.