Mental Toughness of Australian Army Recruits Undertaking Basic Military Training

Military personnel require higher mental toughness to cope with volatile, uncertain, complex, and ambiguous environments. Recruit mental toughness was assessed before and after basic military training (BMT) to determine whether there are differences in mental toughness between recruits allocated to Combat Arms or All Corps, and whether BMT provides a setting conducive to altering recruit mental toughness.

Three hundred and fifteen recruits (males: n = 270, females: n = 45) volunteered to participate in this study. Recruits were grouped according to their allocated Army employment category: Combat Arms or All Corps. The mental toughness questionnaire 48 was administered to recruits in week 1 (Pre) and week 12 (Post) of BMT. Body mass, aerobic fitness, and absolute and relative lower body strength were recorded in week 1 and week 8, aligning with the physical training schedule.

On-time completion of training was attained in 79% of all recruits and 21% were classified as off pathway (i.e., delayed or discharged). At Pre, Combat Arms recorded higher predicted VO2max (3.9 mL-1·kg-1·min-1), absolute (37 kgf) and relative (0.5 kgf-1ˑBM-1) isometric mid-thigh pull, and Confidence (Interpersonal) (0.8) values compared with All Corps (p < 0.05). For recruits who completed BMT, there were no between-group differences for changes in mental toughness (p > 0.05). Instead, there was a mean decline in recruit global mental toughness (-5) following BMT, because of declines in dimensions: Commitment (-2.6), Confidence (Abilities) (-1.1), Control (Life) (-0.9) and Control (Emotion) (-0.7) (p < 0.05).

Enlisted Army employment category (Combat Arms or All Corps), initial mental toughness and physical fitness did not influence changes in recruit mental toughness following BMT. Instead, BMT was associated with a mean decline in global mental toughness because of a decrease in several subscales linked to motivation, sense of control, and self-belief.