Page 95 - Biobehavioral Resilence to Stress

72 Biobehavioral Resilience to Stress

coping with extreme weather, but may offer little or no relief from depression.

While such distinctions may seem to have little practical impact in situations
that require psychological as well as physical resilience and perhaps also
an interplay among all relevant characteristics and variables, leaders might
function more effectively if they understand which of their own characteris-

tics or behavior might have the most direct or dramatic benefi cial impact on

specific types of strain.

Stressors in Deployed Environments

Work-related stressors in deployed environments overlap with those encoun-
tered in more routine conditions, but the stressors associated with deployed

military service are distinct in two ways. First, specific stressors are likely
to occupy a more central position in the individual’s work experience. For

example, within-role conflicts (Table 4.1) may be more common for those who
are deployed to operations other than war (e.g., peacekeeping operations).

Individuals who are engaged in such operations often experience strain as
they attempt to reconcile their identity as warfighters with their duty to exer-

cise impartiality, restraint, and minimal involvement (cf. Weerts et al., 2002).
This type of strain is often exacerbated by rules of engagement that incon-

gruously restrict options for protection or require soldier-peacekeepers to
remain passive even when they encounter clear threats to themselves and to
others (e.g., Bartone & Vatikus, 1998; Litz, Orsillo, Friedman & Ehlich, 1997;
Shigemura & Nomura, 2002).
Similarly, incapacity stressors and distraction stressors may take on

greater significance in deployed environments. For example, diffi cult living
conditions and lack of privacy may have more dramatic effects as stressors in

the context of deployment (Bliese & Britt, 2001; Yerks, 1993). Extreme physi-
cal and professional workloads, long duty days, and little time off may cause

notable strain in deployed settings (Nisenbaum, Barett, Reyes & Reeves, 2000;
Britt & Bliese, 2003). Relationships with civilian peers and multinational col-
leagues assume special importance and thus potentially unique strains arise
from unfamiliarity, suspicion, or miscommunication (e.g., Downie, 2002).
During deployment, soldiers may experience critical distraction stressors
related to separation from family and concerns about the family’s ability

to cope (MacDonald et al., 1998). Finally, deployment often brings about
signifi cant changes in work responsibilities, which in turn may create anxi-
ety about meeting new role expectations and performing unfamiliar tasks
(incapacity stressors). This type of anxiety may be more severe in deployed

(vs. nondeployed) environments because deployed personnel understand
that the consequences of poor performance may be injury or death.
Military personnel in deployed environments also confront a variety
of stressors unique to combat, mission requirements, leadership, climate,

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