Effects of stress, coping style, and confidence on basic combat training attrition

Each year the military loses hundreds of millions of dollars invested in enlistees whom never make it to their first duty station. Investigators have reported that the transition process from civilian to military in basic combat training tends to be very stressful and anxiety provoking for enlistees. However, little data have been gathered to assess the relationship of enlistees' stress levels and their attrition rate. A study was conducted of 155 Soldiers during their nine-week basic combat training at Fort Jackson, South Carolina. It was hypothesized that enlistees with higher levels of stress would also have a higher level of depression and hostility resulting in performance degradation. The results showed a statistically significant positive relationship among perceived stress, hostility and depression levels; furthermore, participants who were able to modify their coping mechanism tended to be more confident in successfully completing training and less likely to receive disciplinary action.