Book of Abstracts [Unofficial – Accepted Presentation, Abstract Submission Ongoing]

Resilience is considered a protective factor against the effects of excessive stress and anxiety. This study examined the relationship between length of service and psychological resilience, as well as the severity of stress, anxiety, and depression, among 128 elite military operators selected from Special Forces. The SPP-25 and DASS-42 questionnaires were used, and data were analyzed using standard statistical procedures. The Shapiro–Wilk test indicated deviations from normality; therefore, non-parametric methods were applied. Spearman’s rho was used to examine correlations. A weak positive correlation was found between length of service and optimistic attitude (ρ = .22; p < .01), which was the only resilience factor significantly associated with service duration. There is a negative corelation between the service lenght and level of anxiety (ρ = –.34; p < .01). Negative correlations were observed between service length and global results of levels of stress, anxiety, and depression, suggesting that longer service may confer resistance to psychological distress. A Mann–Whitney U test indicated a statistically significant difference in distress levels between less experienced (<3 years) and more experienced (>4 years) operators, with lower distress in the latter group (r = –.27). These results suggest that while overall resilience remains stable, longer service is linked with greater optimism, reduced psychological burden and anxiety.