Swedish Navy Study Reveals How Combat Training Affects Sailor Stress Levels

<p><strong>Background:</strong> Swedish naval forces personnel operate continuously under demanding and unpredictable conditions. When on naval operations, employees are exposed to stressful challenges in a constantly moving environment. Training is important to maintain and increase preparedness and can be performed in different ways, for example, in different simulation environments or settings, and the level of realism in the scenario, referred to as low or high fidelity, can vary.</p><p><strong>Aim:</strong> The overall aim of this thesis was to explore stress and the experience of stress during training and naval operations, foreign and domestic, by measuring workload and demands of Swedish naval forces personnel.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>This thesis comprises five studies. Studies I and II were qualitative, using individual notes of events during an international deployment and in-depth interviews 8 months later. Both studies explored stressors and coping among members of the Swedish naval specialized boarding element. Content analysis was used in the first study, and constant comparative analysis in the second. Studies III, IV and V were quantitative. Study III examined workload among Swedish Special Forces operators during stress week using the National Aeronautics and Space Administration Task Load Index (NASA-TLX). The different tasks were compared using ANOVA. Study IV investigated workload, combat readiness and situation awareness in a naval command and control (C2) team exposed to low- and high-fidelity simulation-based training (SBT), using repeated measures and non-parametric analyses. Study V assessed perceived learning in the same C2 team during low- and high-fidelity SBT using a within-group design. ANOVA, descriptive statistics with means and standard deviation were used for the analysis.</p><p><strong>Results:</strong> Studies I and II highlighted the importance of preparedness, particularly leadership and team cohesion, for managing stress during naval operations. In Study III, firefighting scenarios generated a higher workload than medical scenarios, likely due to differences in previous training. Studies IV and V showed that low-fidelity SBT produced comparable workload and supported learning similarly to high-fidelity training, indicating cost-effectiveness. Study V may be a springboard for changes in education and learning based on the results presented in this thesis, and thereby may be of benefit to employees in the Armed Forces. The studies have mapped the demands placed on Swedish naval personnel and identified factors that shaped stress, workload and learning.</p><p><strong>Conclusions:</strong> Strengthening team-building, leadership, and structured SBT can reduce stress and enhance operational readiness. Low-fidelity SBT offers a viable and efficient option for training within the Swedish Armed Forces.</p>