Downsizing the Russian army: Quality of life and mental health consequences for former organizational members, survivors, and spouses

The Russian Army underwent a major downsizing during the mid-1990s. This st udy analyses survey data on the quality of life and the mental health of ar my officers and their wives in four conditions: those who survived downsizi ng, those still in the army but expecting to leave; those who left and foun d civilian employment; and those who left and had not yet found civilian jo bs. ne group reporting the highest quality of life were not the survivors o f downsizing, but rather those who left the army and found civilian employm ent. There were not major differences between those who successfully surviv ed downsizing, and those who had left the army and had not found civilian j obs. The same pattern held for the officers' wives. With regard to mental h ealth, the group reflecting the highest levels of depression, anxiety, and hostility were those soldiers who were still in the army but were expecting to leave, while the group reporting the least distress were the employed v eterans. Again, the same pattern held for the officers' wives. The economic circumstances of the Russian Army were such that leaving through downsizin g produced no more distress than surviving downsizing. This fact may make R ussia's proposed transition from a conscription -based army to a profession al force difficult to achieve.