Processo de adaptação à vida militar-naval: crenças, valores e saúde.

Abstract

The basic characteristic of military schools is to convey to their students the precepts of military life, based on hierarchy and discipline. Such imposition, very often, may generate conflict during the process of adaptation of individual and organizational values, what may bring or not consequences to the individual’s health. Based on this premise, a descriptive-explanatory study has been conducted to investigate the process of adaptation to military-naval life at Escola de Aprendizes-Marinheiros de Santa Catarina (EAMSC) - School of Apprentices-Sailors of Santa Catarina, based on changes perceived in the apprentices’ beliefs, values and health. Conveniently, the subjects were 100 Grumetes (GR) - Cabin boys, from the Zulu class (2007) and 355 Apprentices-Sailors (AM) from the Alfa class (2008), from EAMSC, with whom three instruments were applied: the “Inventário de Crenças e Valores Militares” (ICVM) - Inventory of Beliefs and Military Values, built and validated specifically for this purpose based on organizational values, the “Questionário de Saúde Geral de Goldberg” (QSG) - Questionnaire of General Health of Goldberg; and the demographic data questionnaire to characterize the sample. The Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS 10.0) was used for the descriptive and relational data analysis. The main results indicate that the process of adaptation to military-naval life is characterized by the assimilation of basic values concerning the military life on the initial period of adaptation, and during the graduation process the values of commitment and feeling of belonging to the Brazilian Navy are gradually incorporated. Although it is possible to notice changes concerning the GRs’ hierarchy of values, it is not possible to relate these changes to the military life formation (reason t). The results from the QSG point to some stronger prevalence of minor mental disturb on AM and GR (young military men) than on civilian men, mostly about changes on the stress level, on psychosomatic and on sleeping disturbs. These changes are more evident in the initial period of adaptation. The QSG and the ICVM obtained a moderate index of negative correlation (r = -0,4). By the end of this study, the ICVM in its final version, composed by 24 items, was considered a valid and reliable instrument, according to the rules of psychometry – face validity, content and construct (KMO = 0,897 and a = 0,862) and normal distribution (z) – for measurement of beliefs and military values, being useful for future studies.