title: Work stress in the military: prevalence, causes, and relationship to emotional health.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  This study examined the prevalence and sources of occupational stress for military personnel and the relationship between work stress and emotional health in the military population.
  
  
  METHODS
  Four hundred seventy-two active duty military personnel stationed at F. E. Warren Air Force Base completed a 65-item survey that included items involving reported life events, perceptions about occupational stress, and perceptions about the relationship between work stress and emotional health.
  
  
  RESULTS
  These military personnel were significantly more likely to report suffering from job stress than civilian workers (p < 0.001). One-quarter (26%) reported suffering from significant work stress, 15% reported that work stress was causing them significant emotional distress, and 8% reported experiencing work stress that was severe enough to be damaging their emotional health. Generic work stressors were endorsed more frequently than military-specific stressors.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  More than one-quarter of this sample of military personnel reported suffering from significant work stress and a significant number of these individuals suffered serious emotional distress. These results support previous research suggesting that work stress may be a significant occupational health hazard in the U.S. military.
authors.affiliation: Mental Health Services Flight Commander, F. E. Warren Air Force Base, WY 82005, USA.
authors.forename: Steven
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Pflanz
authors.forename: Scott
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Sonnek
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D006304:Health Status; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008889:Military Personnel / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D016272:Occupational Health; D015995:Prevalence; D013315:Stress, Psychological / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology*; D014481:United States / Q000453:epidemiology