Sexual satisfaction is a crucial aspect of human life that can be affected by various factors such as age, gender, physical health, mental health, stress levels, relationship status, social environment, and cultural norms. It is also influenced by psychological factors like self-esteem, body image, confidence, communication skills, emotional stability, and belief systems. Psychosexual well-being refers to an individual's overall state of being in terms of their sexual identity, desires, experiences, behavior, thoughts, and feelings. Moral reasoning is a cognitive process involving making ethical decisions based on personal principles, values, beliefs, and social norms. Relational trust is a shared belief between two individuals about each other's intentions and reliability, which affects communication, collaboration, conflict resolution, and decision-making. Combat conditions are situations where soldiers face intense physical and emotional challenges that may impact their mental and physical health, relationships, and behaviors. In this article, we will discuss how these three aspects interact under combat conditions and explore possible solutions for maintaining or improving them.
Sexual Satisfaction
Under combat conditions, sexual satisfaction can be disrupted due to stress, fatigue, injury, trauma, separation from loved ones, and other factors. These factors can lead to decreased libido, erectile dysfunction, vaginal dryness, difficulty achieving orgasm, and increased anxiety and fear during sex. Soldiers who experience low sexual satisfaction may feel depressed, anxious, angry, frustrated, or ashamed, leading to reduced motivation, lower performance, and negative attitudes towards themselves and others.
There are ways to improve sexual satisfaction, such as engaging in physical exercise, practicing mindfulness and relaxation techniques, seeking professional help, and building strong relationships with partners.
Psychosexual Well-being
Psychosexual well-being is essential for maintaining overall happiness and fulfillment in life. Under combat conditions, it can be threatened by high levels of stress, fear, guilt, shame, and isolation. Soldiers may struggle with identity issues, body image concerns, feelings of inadequacy, and social stigma surrounding their gender roles and sexuality. Maintaining psychosexual well-being requires self-awareness, positive self-talk, empathy, open communication with partners, and supportive relationships. Therapy, meditation, journaling, art therapy, and group activities can also help soldiers explore their emotions, thoughts, beliefs, and behaviors related to sex.
Moral Reasoning
Moral reasoning refers to how individuals make decisions based on personal values, principles, and beliefs. Under combat conditions, moral reasoning can become blurred due to the need to survive, protect oneself and others, follow orders, and adhere to cultural norms. This can lead to moral dilemmas, ethical ambiguities, and conflicting loyalties that challenge soldiers' identities, belief systems, and relationships. To promote moral reasoning, soldiers must reflect on their core values, communicate honestly with themselves and others, seek guidance from mentors or leaders, and practice decision-making skills through role-playing exercises.
Relational Trust
Relational trust involves a shared belief between two individuals about each other's intentions and reliability. Under combat conditions, relational trust can be challenged by betrayal, distrust, secrecy, competition, and power dynamics. Building trust requires honesty, vulnerability, empathy, compromise, forgiveness, and consistency. Soldiers can improve relational trust by spending time together, sharing feelings and experiences, establishing clear boundaries, seeking mutual goals, resolving conflicts constructively, and practicing healthy communication skills like active listening and non-verbal cues.
Building social support networks outside of the relationship can provide emotional support and perspective during difficult times.
How does sexual satisfaction interact with psychosexual well-being, moral reasoning, and relational trust under combat conditions?
Sexual satisfaction is an important aspect of human life that influences various domains of functioning including mental health, physical well-being, and social relationships (Rathus & Nevid, 2015). In a military context, however, sexual satisfaction may be affected by combat stressors such as trauma, anxiety, fatigue, and separation from loved ones (Bray et al. , 2018).