Study On Armyman Stress Influences Their Mental Health ￡ Psycho-Somatic Health

1. Objective: To understand the psychological disorders, psycho-somatic conditions and psychophysiology of army men through clinical psychological and psycho-somatic experiments and study the effects of stress on mental and physical health of army men as well as psychological influence on somatic symptoms so that a stress model (stress-media-psychophysiology) could be set up to provide basis for clinical application of psychological intervention and health care in the army.2. Subjects and Method2.1 Subjects: 510 army men in Lanzhou Military Area Command were randomly selected, including female and male, recruits and veterans, field and office soldiers, of which 433 were male (84.9%) and 77 were female (15.1%); 238 were field soldiers (46.7%) and 272 were office soldiers (53.3%); the average age was 22.5 +₄.9(16-42);the average length of military service was 5.0+₅.4(l-27).2.2 Method1. Psycho-somatic symptoms as well as mental and physical health of army men were screened and analyzed by Cornell Medical Index (CMI) (by Wolff. HG. Brodman.R of Cornell University. USA);2. Psychological disorders and mental health were checked by Symptom Check List 90, SCL-90 (by Derogatis);3. Quantitative table of stress and basic information of army men was set up, including the gender, age, length of service, arm of the service, source of troops, birthplace, education, pressure from the barracks, love and marriage, social relations and future work as well as the education, profession, pressure of their parents and family income.2.3 Statistical MethodThe data were analyzed by SPSS 13.0, including T-test, Linear regression, Logistic binary regression; and the path analyze of multivariate linear relations was done by Amos 4.0 software and construction equation was built.3. Results3.1 Detection Rate of psychological disorders and psycho-somatic symptoms:SCL-90 screening showed that there were 108 cases of psychological disorders (21.2%) and 402 cases of psycho-somatic symptoms (78.8%). CMI screening showed that there were 402 cases of psycho-somatic (26.7%) and 374 cases of mental and physical health (73.3%).3.2 Comparison among groups of different psychological disorders:The lever of somatization, obsessive-compulsive disorders, sensitivity to social relations, melancholia, anxiety, hostility, paranoia, psychosis was significantly higher in male soldiers than in female soldiers (p<0. 05); SCL showed that the lever of somatization, obsessive-compulsive disorders, sensitivity to social relations, melancholia, anxiety, hostility, paranoia, psychosis and diet and sleep disorders was higher in field soldiers than in office soldiers (p<0. 05); SCL showed the lever of psychological disorders was higher in recruits than in veterans (p<0. 05); SCL score of psychological disorders lowered with the increase in length of service, that is, psychological symptoms had significant negative correlation to length of service ((p <0.05).3.3 Psycho-somatic symptomsMuscle and bone symptoms were more obvious in male than in female soldiers (p< 0. 05 ); symptoms of urogenital system were more obvious in female than in male soldiers (p<0. 05); CML value (including CML total score and M-R score; symptoms of eye and ear, muscle and bone and skin; symptoms of respiratory, cardiovascular, digestive, nerve and urogenital system; fatigue, past history, habituation, ill-adaptation, depression, anxiety, sensitivity, anger, nervousness) was higher in field soldiers than in office soldiers (p<0. 05); the value of CML total score and M-R score; symptoms of eye and ear, muscle and bone and skin; symptoms of respiratory, cardiovascular, digestive, nerve and urogenital system; fatigue, past history, habituation, ill-adaptation, depression, anxiety, sensitivity, anger, nervousness) was higher in 1-year recruits than in veterans (p<0. 05 ); the value of CMI total score and psychological disorders decreased with the increase in length of service.3.4 The effects of stress on psychological disorders and psycho-somatic conditions of army menPressure from the barracks and social relations had significant influence on psychological disorders and psycho=somatic conditions (p<0. 05 ).3.5 Effects of psychological factors on somatic disordersAnxiety, fatigue, anger, sensitivity had significant effects on eye and ear; soamtization, anger, fatigue, uncomfortable and psychosis had significant effects on respiratory system (p<0. 05); somatization, nervousness, fatigue, depression, hostility, anxiety, anger, sensitivity to social relations had significant effects on cardiovascular system (p <0. 05); somatization, habituation, fatigue, ill-adaptation had significant effects on digestive system (p < 0. 05); somatization, fatigue, anger, obsessive-compulsive disorders, melancholia had significant effects on muscle and bone ((p<0. 05 ); nervousness, paranoia, fatigue, depression, somatization, sensitivity to social relations had significant effects on skin (p<0. 05); nervousness, somantization, depression, fatigue, obsessive-compulsive disorders, sensitivity to social relations had significant effects on nerve system (p<0. 05); nervousness, habituation, soamtization, fatigue, hostility, anger, diet and sleep disorders had significant effects on urogenital system (p <0. 05).3.6 Stress model:Stress (pressure from the barracks, social relations, love and marriage and occupation)—media (sensitivity, nervousness, ill-adaptation and somatization)—psychological response ( obsessive-compulsive disorders, sensitivity to social relations, depression, anxiety, hostility, horror, paranoia, psychosis, diet and sleep disorders, anger, fatigue ) and somatic response (symptoms of eye and ear, muscle and bone and skin as well as symptoms of respiratory, cardiovascular and nerve system).4. Conclusions1. Screening shows that over 20% army men have psychological disorders and psycho-somatic symptoms.2. The lever of these psychological disorders and psycho-somatic symptoms is higher in male than in female soldiers, in field soldiers than in office soldiers; in recruits than in veterans.3. Pressure from the barracks and social relations has effects on psychological disorders and psycho-somatic symptoms.4. Psychological factors of different kinds have different effects on somatic symptoms.5. Stress works through media to arouse psychological and physical responses.6. Army men's gender, age, length of service and arm of the service has relationship with their psycho-somatic conditions.