Mental health status and its influencing factors in Iranian soldiers: Systematic review

Abstract

Background and Aim: The mental health of soldiers is a vital issue that has posed many challenges today. The aim of this study was to review the mental health of Iranian soldiers and its influencing factors. Methods: In this systematic review study, papers published over a period of 15 years between the years 2004-2019 were reviewed. Electronic search in Persian and English with the keywords; soldiers' health, military mental health, soldiers' mental disorders, army, armed forces and soldiers in Scopus, Pubmed, Google Scholar, SID, iranMagiran, Medlib and Iranmedex was done. In the initial search; 615 papers related to soldiers' mental health were obtained. In the screening stage, 286 papers were retrieved and according to the exclusion and inclusion criteria, 18 papers were selected. Results: According to the studies, it can be said that the mental health status of Iranian soldiers is dependent on two general categories of external (family environment, economic, cultural and psychological factors) and internal factors (existing facilities, commanders' approach, type of duty). And the manner of training). The results of this study showed that some Iranian soldiers suffer from mental disorders such as depression, anxiety, sleep disorders, drug addiction, personality problems including paranoid, mania, schizophrenia, hysteria and narcissism. Numerous factors including individual, family, social, economic, cultural, managerial and organizational factors affect their mental health status. Conclusion: The increase in mental disorders among young people, especially soldiers, makes it necessary to provide effective strategies to improve their mental health. In this regard, assessing the personality traits of soldiers upon entering military bases and holding confrontation workshops can prevent possible damage as much as possible. © 2020 Baqiyatallah University of Medical Sciences. All rights reserved