Reservists in a postconflict zone: deployment stressors and the deployment experience.
In postconflict zones, both aid and military personnel face chronic stress, including boredom, isolation, family separation, and difficult living conditions, plus the intra-organizational and interpersonal frictions found in all work settings. Australian Army reservists (N = 350) were surveyed during and after peacekeeping in the Solomon Islands. Most respondents reported having a positive experience (66%) and fewer reported their experience was neutral (16%) or negative (17%). The stressors reported by reservists predominately emanated from work-related sources rather than from separation or the operational environment. The discussion considers leadership factors, especially the role of organizational justice in deployed organizations, that may influence the deployment experience.
PO Box 223, Concord West, NSW 2138, Australia.
Geoffrey J
GJ
Orme
University of New South Wales, School of Psychology, Matthews Building, Room 903, Sydney, NSW 2052, Australia.
E James
EJ
Kehoe
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001315:Australia; D001887:Boredom; D006801:Humans; D007398:Interpersonal Relations; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D008889:Military Personnel / Q000523:psychology*; D012934:Social Isolation; D013315:Stress, Psychological / Q000209:etiology*; D017132:Workplace / Q000523:psychology; D055815:Young Adult