Resilience and mental health of pre-cadet in Armed Forces Academies Preparatory School

Abstract

Background: Psychological strength is important, especially resilience quotient and mental health. Resilience is the ability to withstand adversity and bounce back from difficult circumstances in life. Mental health holds all affective, behavioral, and cognitive of human well-being. Therefore, these factors are essential factor to improve mental state during tough situation.
Objectives: To explore the resilience level, mental health level, and association between resilience and mental health among pre-cadet students.
Methods: The current study was a cross-sectional study. The sample was 528 pre-cadet students in Armed Forces Academies Preparatory School. The instruments were a set of questionnaires that consisted of 3 parts, namely: 1) demographic questions; 2) resilience quotient questionnaires; and, 3) Thai Mental Health Indicator (TMHI-15).
Results: Most pre-cadet students had higher mental health than normal (66.7%) and a normal level of resilience (49.8%). The significantly associated factors with mental health level had 4 factors including family members (P < 0.05), current Grade Point Average (GPA) (P < 0.05), the favorable subject (P < 0.05), and the number of close friends who can advise in case of having trouble (P < 0.001). After using binary logistic regression, only the favorite subject and the number of close friends who can advise in case of having trouble can predict mental health levels. The pre-cadet students who had 10 close friends or more to advise in case of having trouble can predict an increase in mental health (OR = 2.029, P < 0.01) compared to the referent group. The students who prefer both subjects can predict an increase in mental health (OR = 2.046, P < 0.05) when compared with the pre-cadet students who dislike both subjects. The significantly associated factors with resilience level had 4 factors including holding the position of command (P < 0.05), family members (P < 0.01), the number of close friends who can advise in case of having trouble (P < 0.001), and having a goal of field or program to study in academic (P < 0.05).  The number of close friends and having a goal of field or program to study in academic were factors that can predict of resilience levels. The pre-cadet students who had 10 close friends or more to advise in case of having trouble can predict an increase in resilience (OR = 2.629, P < 0.001) when compared with the students who had 3 close friends or below. Compared to pre-cadet students who had no field/program to study in academics, the students who had a field/program to study in academics can predict an increase on resilience (OR = 1.534, P < 0.001).
Conclusion: The number of close friends or peers who can advise in case of having trouble played an important role to predict both mental health and resilience level among pre-cadet students. Thus, this study can be useful in Armed Forces Academies Preparatory School for training or teaching the value of counseling to the students.