Estimated mental health and analysis of relative factors for new Chinese recruits.

ABSTRACT Objective: The primary aim of the present study was to quantitatively assess and analyze influential psychosocial factors in the mental health of new military recruits. Methods: A total of 2,734 army recruits were evaluated by using the Symptom Checklist-90 (SCL-90) and Trait Meta-Mood Scale. Results: In general, the army recruits were found to be in a good state of mental health. The SCL-90 scores of the new recruits were significantly higher than those of the normal civilian population (p < 0.01). The new recruits were similar to the normal army population, with notable exceptions in the following three scales: obsessive-compulsive, depression, and anxiety (p < 0.01 or p < 0.05). Factors that significantly influenced the SCL-90 scores included childhood environment, education level, and parental relationship. Results from the current study also revealed negative associations between the SCL-90 global severity index and the Trait Meta-Mood Scale subscale scores (p < 0.01). Conclusion: The mental...