• Can Nakkas, Hubert Annen, and Serge Brand.
• Psychologic-Pedagogic Service of the Swiss Armed Forces (PPD A), Waffenplatz, Gebäude 338, Thun, Switzerland.
• Mil Med. 2019 Dec 1; 184 (11-12): e680-e685.

IntroductionMilitary service can have beneficial social effects on minorities. However, minority groups are also often at greater risk of somatizing psychological distress and coping maladaptively. In military training this would result in lower mental health of minorities and contribute to higher drop-out rates. We thus examined if recruits with different ethnocultural backgrounds report different somatization levels and coping styles.Materials And MethodsSeven hundred and forty male recruits of the Swiss Armed Forces aged 18-26 took part in a cross-sectional study during basic training. Participants filled out self-rating questionnaires covering sociodemographics, somatization (SCL-90-R), coping styles (INCOPE-2), and social support (F-SozU). The recruits' ethnic self-identification was used to compare three groups: native Swiss (89%); Turkish or Balkan minority (5%); heterogeneous ethnic minority (6%). Group differences in somatization scores were tested with a Kruskal-Wallis test; group differences in coping styles were tested with a multivariate ANCOVA, controlling for the level of social support experienced.ResultsRecruits from the heterogeneous ethnic minority group reported significantly greater levels of somatization than their native Swiss comrades. Coping styles did not differ between the three ethnic groups, but higher levels of social support were associated with better coping.ConclusionMilitary doctors ought to place importance on the differential diagnosis of medically unexplained physical symptoms in ethnic minority recruits. This would contribute to minimize the risk of misdiagnosis. Military mental health professionals who counsel recruits reporting somatic symptoms are advised to be sensitized to an ethnic minority status. Physical complaints could mask affective problems or be part of an adjustment disorder symptomatology.© Association of Military Surgeons of the United States 2019. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.

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