Examining The Relationship Of Altitude Sickness And Psychological Wellbeing: Implications For Military Personnel

Abstract

The Indian Army, renowned for its valour and resilience, operates in diverse terrains, including high-altitude regions such as the Himalayas and the Siachen Glacier. High altitude stress is the physiological and the psychological stress level that can be a consequence of the extremely low levels of temperature at the high-altitude areas where our military personnels are deployed for the safety, security and smooth running of our own country. This is a correlational study. A total of 60 participants within the age range of 22-year-old to 50-year-old participated in this study. The High-Altitude Stress (HAS) questionnaire was used to assess the variables. The scale consists of 25 items with responses marked on a 5point Likert scale. The data was analysed using One-Way ANOVA analysis for proving the rst hypothesis and the Pearson product moment correlation was performed for proving the second hypothesis. The results indicated that a highly signi cant difference between stress levels in extreme weather conditions (F (1, 116) = 2942.47, p < 0.001). The correlation between age and coping strategies was also − 0.10 (r = -0.10), but it was not statistically signi cant (p = 0.003), suggesting a small negative relationship between age and the use of coping strategies. The hypothesis that extreme weather conditions signi cantly impact stress levels during deployments in high-altitude areas is accepted. There were no strong correlations among the age and effective coping strategies, indicating that the second hypothesis was rejected.