Psychological distress, coping, and emotional regulation in Swiss recruits, junior cadre and officers; results from cross-sectional studies.

Using primarily psychometric, but also psychophysiological data gained from members of the Swiss Armed Forces, we were able to come to the following findings: prospective junior cadre exhibit lower stress levels and more prosocial stress reactions during their basic training; recruits with a migration background show a greater tendency to somatize stress than autochthonous recruits; and vagally mediated HRV during the cold face test (i.e., a test of the autonomic pathways) is associated with emotional self-regulation in recruits. The results are discussed as to their military psychological application with regard to leadership emergence and selection, mental health care and applied research in the field.