The Effectiveness of Resiliency Training on Reduction of Emotional Stress and Self-mutilation Attempt in Soldiers in Tehran, Iran in 2018

Soldiering is a stressful period in which there is a possibility of self-harm, so it is necessary to consider ways to reduce it. The purpose of this study was to determine the effectiveness of resiliency training in reducing stress and self-injury and increasing the resiliency of soldiers.

This study was quasi-experimental with pre-test, post-test and control group waiting for treatment in 2018. The statistical population consisted of 20 soldiers referred to the 505 Army Hospital in Tehran who were selected by convenience sampling and were assigned into two groups of 10 (experimental and control). The experimental group received resilience training in 10 sessions of 90 minutes, while the control group received no intervention. The instruments used in this study were Perceived Stress Questionnaire (PSS), Clonensky Self-Reporting Inventory and Conner Resilience Questionnaire (ISAS) and Davidson (CD-RIS). Multivariate analysis of covariance and SPSS software version 24 were used for data analysis.

The mean age of the soldiers in the experimental and control groups was 20.6±2.3 and 20.4±1.5 years, respectively, and the mean length of military service was 5.3±2.5 and 7.7±4.1 months, respectively. Resiliency training program significantly reduced stress (98%) and self-injury (91%) in soldiers in the intervention group and significantly increased resilience (98%) (p <0.01).

Resiliency training seems to be effective in improving stress and self-harm syndrome and resilience in soldiers and it can be used in garrison settings.