A Model for Soldier Psychological Adapatation in Peacekeeping Operations

This report summarizes findings on three U.S. units that recently served in peacekeeping operations in the former Yugoslavia, and presents a model of the underlying psychological issues in soldier adaptation to such operations. The focus of each investigation was on identifying the key sources of stress for soldiers, and delineating the impact of these stressors on the health, morale and mental readiness of soldiers. Findings show that the degree of overall stress is correlated significantly with days of depression in all groups examined, indicating clear effects of stress on mental readiness and performance. A five- dimension model represents the key issues in psychological adaptation to peacekeeping operations: Isolation, Ambiguity, Powerlessness, Boredom, and Danger. This model leads to several recommendations for counter-measures that organizational leaders can take for maintaining soldier psychological readiness throughout peacekeeping operations.