Life Lessons in Military Services: Investigating the Influence of a Training Program on the Military Personnel's Life Skills Development

Soldiers experience dramatic challenges and need skills that will prepare them for long periods of separation and other military demands. The main purpose of present study was to investigate the efficacy of life skill education in two military bases, focusing: effective communication, drug abuse prevention, self-awareness, resilience, problem Solving, assertiveness, coping with stress, citizenship Skills, marriage preparation, sexual health, critical thinking and decision making. These twelve skills were selected by two professional social psychologists among 52 skills, which are routinely taught in military services all over the world. The Statistical population of this study was all conscripts, professional soldiers and commanders of two military centers, but 50 conscripts, 36 professional soldiers and 8 commanders (healthy male subjects, with average age 27 years) were selected by multistage sampling. To investigate the quality of training, international standard questionnaires, which validity and reliability of their Persian version were previously confirmed, were applied .The findings of the study revealed life skills-based education for military individuals improved effective communication skills 19%, drug abuse prevention 7%, self-awareness 12%, resilience 17%, 5% problem solving, assertiveness9%, coping with stress 10%, 5%citizenship skills, marriage preparation 10%, sexual health 6%, critical thinking 8% and decision-making 24% in conscripts and professional soldiers significantly. Finally, it is recommended to perform further studies with similar method, but longer follow up, evaluating the long term impact of life skill education in military centers.