Resource loss and gain following military reserve duty in Israel: An assessment of conservation of resources (COR) theory

Rony Goldfarb, Hasida Ben-Zur

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

Abstract

According to Israeli law, citizens aged 20-40 are obligated to fulfill military reserve duty in the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF). Guided by the theory of conservation of resources (COR; Hobfoll, 2001), this study examined the association of resource loss and gain (economic, time, familial, work, and personal resources) with level of reserve combat soldiers' distress and satisfaction with their service following the termination of their reserve duty. The sample consisted of 139 male Israeli citizens, ages 23-40, serving as reserve soldiers in the IDF. Using an Internet-based questionnaire, prior to the start of their reserve duty (Time 1), the respondents completed questionnaires assessing psychological traits, social support, and psychological distress. Following the reserve service period (Time 2), the respondents completed a short inventory of resource loss and gain related to the service, and assessments of psychological distress and satisfaction with the service. The main results showed that resource loss was higher on average than resource gain and was associated positively with distress and negatively with satisfaction with the service, whereas resource gain was positively associated with satisfaction only. The findings are compatible with COR theory and point to areas in which reserve soldiers could be assisted in fulfilling the task of maintaining national security while simultaneously preserving personal well-being.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)135-155
Number of pages21
JournalInternational Journal of Stress Management
Volume24
Issue number2
DOIs
StatePublished - May 2017

Bibliographical note

Publisher Copyright:
© American Psychological Association.

Keywords

  • Distress
  • Military service
  • Resource gain
  • Resource loss
  • Satisfaction

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Education
  • General Business, Management and Accounting
  • Applied Psychology
  • General Psychology

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