Self-Esteem and Optimism as Predictors of Resilience among Selected Filipino Active Duty Military Personnel in Military Camps

Abstract

Knowing the immense physical and psychological distress that military personnel undergo, it is almost impossible not talk about its adverse psychological consequences, particularly in the context of the mental health profession. Resilience, optimism, and self-esteem are just among the many factors that frequent the discussion about the effects of adverse situations. According to Fergus and Zimmerman’s Resilience Theory (2005), individuals possess innate traits such as resilience, that allow them to withstand distress, highlighting the predictive application of self-esteem and optimism for resilience. Mental health awareness has likewise risen in the Philippines, shedding more light on mental health issues that were previously considered to be too shallow and usually dismissed. As such, utilizing a predictive non-experimental research design, this present study aimed to determine whether self-esteem and optimism can predict resilience among 360 military personnel in activity duty. Military personnel from military camps who were selected using a non-probability technique completed a test battery consisting of three scales to measure the variables: Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale, Life Orientation Test-Revised (LOT-R), and Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale (CD-RISC). Significant results revealed that a relationship exists among the research variables and that self-esteem and optimism predicts resilience among the present study’s selected active duty military personnel in military camps