Control Study on Temperament and Character Traits, Resilience, and Predictors of Military Maladjusted Soldiers

Sung Gue Jang; Sang Kyu Lee; Jong Hyuk Choi

doi:10.4306/jknpa.2014.53.3.178

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Jang, Lee, and Choi: Control Study on Temperament and Character Traits, Resilience, and Predictors of Military Maladjusted Soldiers

Original Article

Journal of Korean Neuropsychiatric Association 2014; 53(3): 178-185.

Published online: 29 May 2014

DOI: https://doi.org/10.4306/jknpa.2014.53.3.178

Control Study on Temperament and Character Traits, Resilience, and Predictors of Military Maladjusted Soldiers

Sung Gue Jang, MD¹, Sang Kyu Lee, MD, PhD², Jong Hyuk Choi, MD¹

¹Department of Neuropsychiatry, Chuncheon National Hospital, Chuncheon, Korea.

²Department of Psychiatry, Chuncheon Sacred Heart Hospital, College of Medicine, Hallym University, Chuncheon, Korea.

Address for correspondence: Sang Kyu Lee, MD, PhD. Department of Psychiatry, Chuncheon Sacred Heart Hospital, College of Medicine, Hallym University, 77 Sakju-ro, Chuncheon 200-704, Korea. Tel +82-33-252-9970, Fax +82-33-244-0317, skmind114@hanmail.net

Received 11 February 2014 Revised 27 March 2014 Accepted 2 May 2014

Abstract

Objectives

The purpose of this study was to reveal psychological traits, risk factors, and predictors of the military maladjusted group. In addition, we attempted to compare the correlation of temperament, character profile, and resilience between maladjusted and adjusted groups.

Methods

A total of 166 maladjusted soldiers who joined the green camp of three divisions and 125 adjusted soldiers participated in the survey from July to December 2013. As self-report questionnaire methods, Beck Anxiety Inventory, Beck Depression Inventory (BDI), and the Korean version of the Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale, Temperament and Character Inventory (TCI) were used. T-test, binary logistic regression analysis, Pearson's correlation, and multiple regression analysis were used as analytical methods.

Results

The maladjusted group showed a high level of anxiety, depression, and Harm Avoidance and a low level of resilience, Reward Dependence (RD), Persistence, Self-Directedness, and Cooperativeness compared with the adjusted group. BDI and RD were found to be statistically significant for prediction of military maladjustment. Higher correlation between resilience and TCI was observed for the maladjusted group, but not the adjusted group.

Conclusion

We suggest that a high depression level and a low RD level should be included as predictors among target symptoms for development of psychological treatment for the maladjusted group. In addition, we suggest that the level of resilience can affect correlation of resilience with TCI.

Keywords: Military maladjustment, Resilience, Temperament, Character, Risk factor

Figures and Tables

Table 1

Demographic characteristics of subjects

S.D. : Standard deviation, S.E.S : Socioeconomic Status

Table 2

Mean difference of BAI, BDI, resilience, and TCI score between two group

Independent sample t-test. BAI : Beck Anxiety Inventory, BDI : Beck Depression Inventory, TCI : Temperament and Character Inventory, HA : Harm Avoidance, NS : Novelty Seeking, RD : Reward Dependence, P : Persistence, SD : Self-Directedness, C : Cooperativeness, ST : Self-Transcendence, S.D. : Standard deviation

Table 3

Significant level of variables on predicting maladjustment of military service

Logistic regression analysis. BAI : Beck Anxiety Inventory, BDI : Beck Depression Inventory, HA : Harm Avoidance, RD : Reward Dependence, P : Persistence, SD : Self-Directedness, C : Cooperativeness, SE : Standard Error

Table 4

Correlation coefficients between TCI and resilience of maladjusted group (n=166)

Pearson's correlation analysis. ^*: p<0.05, ^**: p<0.001. TCI : Temperament and Character Inventory, HA : Harm Avoidance, NS : Novelty Seeking, RD : Reward Dependence, P : Persistence, SD : Self-Directedness, C : Cooperativeness, ST : Self-Transcendence

Table 5

Association of resilience with TCI

Multiple regression analysis. Adjusted R²=0.740. TCI : Temperament and Character Inventory, HA : Harm Avoidance, RD : Reward Dependence, P : Persistence, SD : Self-Directedness, C : Cooperativeness, ST : Self-Transcendence, SE : Standard error

Table 6

Correlation coefficients between TCI and resilience of adjusted group (n=125)

Notes

The authors have no financial conflicts of interest.

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