Schei E
Institute of Community Medicine, University of Tromsø, Norway.
Soc Psychiatry Psychiatr Epidemiol. 1994 Feb;29(1):40-5. doi: 10.1007/BF00796447.
Conscription compels 70% of male Norwegians to invest 1 year of their lives in military training. For 19-to 20-year-old men, the military service is an important arena of secondary socialization. In a cross-sectional study of mental health in army conscripts using the 12-item General Health Questionnaire (GHQ), the case prevalence was 48% (cut-off 2/3). This was remarkably high, given that the study population had been screened for mental disease on several occasions, and a large number of recruits with symptoms of mental disease had been excluded before the survey began. Statistical analyses indicated that the high case prevalence was mainly due to situational factors. Four dimensions were identified: (1) social relations with officers, peers and family, (2) structural factors inherent in the system of obligatory military service, (3) the meaningfulness of daily tasks and (4) financial problems. GHQ caseness was statistically associated with physical inactivity and consumption of junk-food, tobacco, alcohol and cannabis. It is concluded that military service in its present form may have undesirable consequences both for civilian society and for military efficiency. Recruits need help to cope with the complex psychosocial and transactional challenges of military service.
征兵迫使70%的挪威男性投入一年时间接受军事训练。对于19至20岁的男性而言，兵役是二级社会化的一个重要舞台。在一项使用12项一般健康问卷（GHQ）对军队新兵心理健康进行的横断面研究中，病例患病率为48%（临界值为2/3）。鉴于该研究人群曾多次接受精神疾病筛查，且在调查开始前大量有精神疾病症状的新兵已被排除，这一患病率相当高。统计分析表明，高病例患病率主要归因于情境因素。确定了四个维度：（1）与军官、同龄人及家人的社会关系，（2）义务兵役制度固有的结构因素，（3）日常任务的意义，以及（4）财务问题。GHQ病例与缺乏身体活动以及垃圾食品、烟草、酒精和大麻的消费在统计学上相关。得出的结论是，目前形式的兵役可能对平民社会和军事效率都产生不良后果。新兵需要帮助来应对兵役带来的复杂心理社会和人际挑战。
