Resilience, Emotions, and Character Strengths as Predictors of Job Stress in Military Personnel

Background: Job stress, which undermines productivity and physical and mental health, has been reported to be high among military personnel. Objectives: The present study aimed to explore the role of character strengths, emotions, and resilience in predicting job stress in a sample of Iranian military personnel. Methods: This cross-sectional study recruited a total number of 146 military personnel via convenience sampling and administered the Health and Safety Executive Stress Questionnaire, Conner-Davidson Resilience Scale, Values in Action Inventory of Strengths, and Positive and Negative Affect Schedule. The correlation analysis and stepwise linear regression were performed using SPSS22. Results: Job stress was negatively associated with resilience, positive emotions, and character strengths and positively associated with negative emotions (P < 0.001). Regression analysis revealed that three variables, including resilience, courage, and negative emotions could predict 57% of the variance in job stress (Adj. R2 = 0.57, P < 0.001). Conclusions: Higher resilience and courage are associated with lower job stress. Also, negative emotions such as anger, guilt, and anxiety would contribute to higher job stress. Providing training courses to develop and boost resilience and courage and manage negative emotions can offset the negative effects of job stress on military personnel. Also, considering these factors as recruitment criteria would lead to the enlistment of cadets who may be more resilient to stress.