hornetguy
15-Year Member
- Joined
- Jun 9, 2006
- Messages
- 2,353
Comparing stress levels as cadets/mids vs. AD isn't the best way to think of it. An 18-19 y/o is much more susceptible to the stress than a 23-24 y/o typically for many reasons. Cadets are by and large fresh to being out of their home, away from family for the first time, and put into a pressure cooker. If we look at junior enlisted at the same age, we see high suicide rates there as well. I look at my maturity level as a 4 degree and a 3 degree and it was very different from when I was a 2 dig and firstie, which is a far cry from where I am now. This time period is a period of major and quick growth in level of maturity and personality. Not everyone is equipped to handle that very well.
I also see this as an extension of a problem I perceive in the services. Much focus is put on "families." Often the "single" (RE: unmarried) soldier/airman/etc. is given the crappy shift or assignment because, well, they have no one waiting for them so let's give the good stuff to the married guys because they need time with family. Go read the psych literature and you will find this is a big NO NO. Among my peers and friends, and minimally in my own command chain, once a commander finds out you don't have a family (and often it doesn't even matter if you are in a long-term relationship, it doesn't count unless you are married), they stop taking an interest. This has been a common story among my peers in USAF/USN/USA/USCG. We have built an organization that somehow has taken the false position that the married members are the ones needing the most support and this is further from the truth. I worked on at risk populations on some RAND projects. By and large, the single young men were the groups experiencing the most issues with mental health, outliers in the data in fact.
I bring this up because the people we send to our academies as AOCs, AMTs, and other permanent party are a part of this organizational culture we've bred. They value the same message. Until some of the military organizations start reallocating their time and resources to watch out for the young, "single" populations, we are going to continue seeing mental health events rearing their ugly head. The services need to invest their time and effort into recognizing that the single guys/gals need just as much, if not more, support than their married counterparts.
I also see this as an extension of a problem I perceive in the services. Much focus is put on "families." Often the "single" (RE: unmarried) soldier/airman/etc. is given the crappy shift or assignment because, well, they have no one waiting for them so let's give the good stuff to the married guys because they need time with family. Go read the psych literature and you will find this is a big NO NO. Among my peers and friends, and minimally in my own command chain, once a commander finds out you don't have a family (and often it doesn't even matter if you are in a long-term relationship, it doesn't count unless you are married), they stop taking an interest. This has been a common story among my peers in USAF/USN/USA/USCG. We have built an organization that somehow has taken the false position that the married members are the ones needing the most support and this is further from the truth. I worked on at risk populations on some RAND projects. By and large, the single young men were the groups experiencing the most issues with mental health, outliers in the data in fact.
I bring this up because the people we send to our academies as AOCs, AMTs, and other permanent party are a part of this organizational culture we've bred. They value the same message. Until some of the military organizations start reallocating their time and resources to watch out for the young, "single" populations, we are going to continue seeing mental health events rearing their ugly head. The services need to invest their time and effort into recognizing that the single guys/gals need just as much, if not more, support than their married counterparts.