Objective: This project attempts to establish possible links between psychosocial factors and mental disorders among Polish professional soldiers.
Materials and methods: The examined group consisted of 1,785 professional soldiers hospitalized in the psychiatric department of the 107th Military Hospital in Walcz in the years 1982 to 1984, 1986 to 1989, and 1993 to 1996. The study was based on analysis of accessible medical files. Special attention was paid to diagnosis, age, year of service, garrison size, position, and motivation to remain in military service. The International Classification of Diseases, Tenth Revision, diagnostic scheme was used.
Results: Neurotic disorders were the most often diagnosed psychic disturbances in all groups of professional soldiers. More than half of the soldiers hospitalized from 1986 to 1989 became unfit for further military duty because of their mental disturbances. This study confirmed statistical links between dismissals of professional soldiers and motivation, age, or job seniority. Also, we found a link between military positions and increased psychiatric morbidity among soldiers. Personality disturbances, maladaptive syndromes, and substance-related disorders dominated at command positions in all years investigated.
Conclusion: The results showed the necessity of further elaborations of preventive and new treatment rules, leading to a diminution of mental disturbances among professional soldiers in Poland.