Szivak Tunde K, Schafer Erica A, MacDonald Hayley V, Saenz Catherine
Department of Athletic Training and Exercise Science, School of Health Sciences, Merrimack College, North Andover, MA 01845, USA.
Department of Kinesiology, College of Education, The University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa, AL 35487, USA.
Metabolites. 2025 Jul 29;15(8):506. doi: 10.3390/metabo15080506.
BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES: This scoping review critically evaluated existing literature and summarized the impact of occupational, physiological, and psychological stressors on adrenal and neuroendocrine responses, body composition, and physical performance amongst women in tactical occupations.
Boolean searches identified potentially qualifying reports involving: (1) adult women (≥19 y) currently employed or completing their training for a tactical profession; (2) ≥1 marker of "stress"; and (3) ≥1 adrenal, neuroendocrine, body composition, or fitness/performance outcome. Quantitative data (e.g., sample characteristics, outcomes of interest) were extracted and summarized. The completeness of reporting for each study was documented using existing checklists and quantified as: low (<50%), moderate (50-79%), or high (≥80%).
40 studies () of moderate reporting quality (~64%) were included in the final sample (3693 women); 11 studies (28%) focused on women exclusively, and 16 studies identified sex differences in ≥1 outcome. Most studies involved military trainee populations (80%, = 32). Occupation-related stress tended to negatively impact adrenal, neuroendocrine, body composition, and performance outcomes.
This review highlights progress in assessing occupational performance in female tactical personnel exposed to diverse stressors; however, our understanding remains incomplete due to methodological and conceptual limitations in the literature. Holistic research strategies are needed to capture the complexity of performance readiness in women, integrating how stress affects key tactical performance aspects such as muscle physiology, reproductive health, and energy and nutrient balance in realistic operational contexts. Integrating such data is vital for informing policy, improving readiness, and enhancing the health and career longevity of female tactical personnel.
背景/目的：本范围综述对现有文献进行了批判性评估，并总结了职业、生理和心理应激源对从事战术职业女性的肾上腺和神经内分泌反应、身体成分及身体机能的影响。
通过布尔检索确定了可能符合条件的报告，这些报告涉及：（1）目前受雇于战术职业或正在完成战术职业培训的成年女性（≥19岁）；（2）≥1个“应激”指标；（3）≥1个肾上腺、神经内分泌、身体成分或体能/机能结果。提取并总结了定量数据（如样本特征、感兴趣的结果）。使用现有清单记录每项研究的报告完整性，并量化为：低（<50%）、中（50 - 79%）或高（≥80%）。
最终样本（3693名女性）纳入了40项报告质量中等（约64%）的研究；11项研究（28%）仅关注女性，16项研究在≥1个结果中发现了性别差异。大多数研究涉及军事学员群体（80%，n = 32）。与职业相关的应激往往会对肾上腺、神经内分泌、身体成分和机能结果产生负面影响。
本综述突出了在评估暴露于多种应激源的女性战术人员职业机能方面取得的进展；然而，由于文献中的方法学和概念性限制，我们的理解仍不完整。需要采用整体研究策略来把握女性机能准备状态的复杂性，整合应激如何在实际作战环境中影响关键战术机能方面，如肌肉生理学、生殖健康以及能量和营养平衡。整合这些数据对于为政策提供信息、提高准备状态以及增进女性战术人员的健康和职业寿命至关重要。
