Gold M A, Friedman S B
Department of Pediatrics, Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, PA, USA.
Mil Med. 2000 Feb;165(2):147-52.
Cadet basic training (CBT) at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point is an initial cadet experience designed to transition freshmen (new cadets) into the military. Challenge is an inherent component of CBT, and some challenging activities may be stressful. However, the nature and the impact of stress on health status have not been systematically investigated. An ethnographic technique, participant observation, was used to identify stressors and coping strategies among cadets aged 18 to 21 years participating in CBT. A company of 183 cadets, consisting of 123 new cadets and 60 supervising upperclass cadets from the U.S. Military Academy, was followed throughout the 6-week CBT in the summer of 1993. The investigator observed daily activities and participated in select field training experiences. Daily field observations were taped, and field notes were generated chronicling the experience. After CBT, 10 of the 60 upperclass cadets participated in a 20-minute structured interview. Field and interview notes were systematically reviewed to identify and categorize stressors and coping techniques. Stressors included anticipatory stress, time management pressures, sleep deprivation, performance evaluations, conflicts between teamwork and competitive grading, and inexperience in the leadership role. Coping techniques identified included perceiving social support, humor, and rationalization. Three new hypotheses were generated from the observations.
美国西点军校的学员基础训练（CBT）是新学员开启军事生涯的首次体验。挑战是CBT的固有组成部分，有些挑战性活动可能会带来压力。然而，压力对健康状况的性质和影响尚未得到系统研究。采用人种学方法——参与观察，来确定参与CBT的18至21岁学员的压力源和应对策略。1993年夏天，跟踪观察了由183名学员组成的一个连队，其中包括123名新学员和60名来自西点军校的高年级督导学员，整个6周的CBT期间都在跟踪观察。研究者观察日常活动，并参与特定的野外训练体验。每天的野外观察都进行了录像，并撰写了野外记录来记录整个体验过程。CBT结束后，60名高年级学员中的10人参加了一次为时20分钟的结构化访谈。对野外观察记录和访谈记录进行了系统审查，以确定压力源和应对技巧并进行分类。压力源包括预期压力、时间管理压力、睡眠不足、绩效评估、团队合作与竞争性评分之间的冲突，以及领导角色方面缺乏经验。确定的应对技巧包括感知社会支持、幽默和合理化。从观察中得出了三个新的假设。
