Soldier Performance as a Function of Stress and Load: A Review.

摘要

This report describes the results of a survey to identify and summarize literature related to soldier performance when under stress, with an emphasis on the relationship of stress to the combat load of the individual soldier. Researchers used a number of different databases to conduct a computer search (DIALOG) of professional and military literature on stress. Results of the effort indicate that the majority of the empirical data on stress from within the scientific community is difficult to extrapolate to military combat situations. Conversely, the majority of stress-related data from combat situations is anecdotal. The most representative stress-related research appears in studies of sustained or continuous operations. The report concludes that stresses typical of those to which the soldier is exposed in combat result in a degradation of cognitive performance, motor skills, and load-bearing capability. In turn, excessive soldier loads may contribute to stress. Stressors that were treated most thoroughly in the literature were fear, fatigue, uncertainty, sleep deprivation, work and rest cycles, and ambient temperature. The report includes recommendations for maximizing soldier performance in stressful situations. (SDW)