U.S Navy Sailors Grapple With Extreme Stress Levels, New Survey Finds

A recent U.S. Navy survey revealed that 1 in every 3 sailors underwent extreme or severe stress in 2023.

About 19,380 service members were part of the survey. 37% of them showed symptoms of extreme stress, which is a considerable jump over the 26% reported in 2019.

The highest number of severely stressed came from the Junior enlisted sailors between the ranks of E-1 and E-6, which stood at 40%. Around 30% of junior and 27% of senior officers reported similar stress levels.

“Consistent with the results for stress, results indicate that E-1 through E-6 are most likely to have high levels of burnout,” the report mentioned.

The major reason for this is inadequate staffing, followed by problems relating to quality of life. Around 23% of US Navy sailors said they plan to leave the service soon. This figure is three times that of 2022.

Around 20% of those surveyed said they considered leaving the service but were unsure.

The reasons for the same were civilian career opportunities, inadequate salary, spending more time with family, and difficulty balancing work and personal life. On the other hand, factors cited by those wanting to keep the job were salary, retirement benefits and job security.

A US Navy official said there is much work to do to provide the sailors with the tools to manage their stress and burnout better.

References: Stripes, the DefensePost

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