PSYCHOLOGICAL WELL-BEING TENTARA DI WILAYAH PERBATASAN REPUBLIK INDONESIA: STUDI FENOMENOLOGI

Abstract

Psychological Well-Being among Soldiers in Border Regions of the Republic of Indonesia: A Phenomenological Study xxi + 145 pages + 2 tables + 15 appendixes Soldiers, in general, have unique psychological problems which are associated with the tradition of military service placement that they have at work. This tradition brings an impact that can reduce the psychological well-being of the soldiers such as stress, depression, PTSD and suicide. Previous studies showed that soldiers working at their home base are able to consider the home base as their own home; they also feel comfortable as they have low environmental pressures. This study aimed to explore the psychological well-being of the soldiers serving their military service at the border regions of the Republic of Indonesia. This study used a qualitative design with a phenomenological approach. The population was members of the army carrying out their military services on the border regions. The samples were ten participants recruited using a purposive sampling technique. The results revealed eight themes: (1) The meaning of psychological well-being, consisting of three sub-themes: (a) fulfillment of physical and financial needs, (b) Feeling of comfort, c) Being able to do the worship, (2) Feeling of pride and happiness in carrying out the duty, (3) Willingness to get closer to God, (4) Hopes during the duty including: (a) Emphasis on family happiness, and (b) Success in carrying out the duty, (5) Communication with colleagues and leaders, (6) Feelings of having another family as replacement, (7) Feeling overwhelmed with routine activities, and 8) Having an ability to manage the environment, consisting of (a) Being aware of the threat of disease and separatists, and (b) Learning the local language. The results of this study showed that soldiers with military service had the ability to maintain psychological well-being with the support of colleagues, leaders, and families while they were on duty. Nurses can play their roles as healthcare providers before the military service as primary prevention efforts such as stress management, during the military service by performing screening, and after the military service by managing the mental health problems. Keywords: Psychological well-being, Indonesian soldiers at border regions References: 145 (1994-2018)