Survival in Times of Adversity Among Active Military Personnel with Local-Armed Conflict Exposure
Camille De Leon
Discipline: Education
Abstract:
Local-armed conflict exposure among active military personnel is considered an inherent challenge in
their survival capacity. This study aims to explore and determine the essence of the lived
experiences of selected active Filipino military personnel who continue with their military service
notwithstanding their participation from local-armed conflict. It utilized a qualitative
phenomenological approach wherein five active enlisted military members who met the inclusion
criteria voluntarily participated and undergone tele-interview using a semi-structured mode of
interviewing. Data analysis yielded three structural themes of their lived experience from localarmed conflict exposures that pertains to (a) hardening in psychophysiological attributes; (b) testing
of morality, and (c) sensing towards action mechanism which mostly encompasses the adaptation
they have individually employed in the adversities of the lived encounters. This study contributed in
determining the mental health of selected active military personnel that have endured the challenges
of their actual participation in said phenomenon.
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