Psychological well-being of canadian forces officer candidates: The unique roles of hardiness and personality

Abstract

Previous research has found that individual characteristics play an important role in psychological wellbeing and perception of stress. Although the Five Factor Model of personality has been found to consistently predict psychological well-being in the general population and among military personnel, hardiness has also been found to be a predictor of well-being. This study examined the unique role of hardiness, above that of personality, in the well-being and stress perceptions of Canadian Forces offi cer candidates undergoing basic training. The results of the study were consistent with those of previous research, suggesting that military hardiness is an important predictor of well-being and stress perceptions. Furthermore, hardiness was related to all domains of psychological well-being and training perceptions when the Five Factor Model of personality was statistically controlled. These fi ndings demonstrate that hardiness and personality constitute 2 different constructs, both of which have signifi cant contributions to well-being. © Association of Military Surgeons of the U.S. All rights reserved.