Psycho-physiological response of soldiers in urban combat

Authors

  • Vicente Javier Clemente Suárez Department of Physical Activity and Sport Science. Sport Science Faculty. University of Castilla la Mancha. Toledo
  • Jose Juan Robles Pérez Department of Melee Combat and Self Defense, Military Sports Area. Central School of Physical Education of the Army. Toledo
DOI: https://doi.org/10.6018/analesps.29.2.150691
Keywords: Combat, cortical arousal, stress, strength, sympathetic nervous system, heart rate

Abstract

Current armed conflicts are asymmetrical and are developed in urban areas. These new requirements have not been studied for current literature. The aim of this study was to analyse changes in cortical arousal, blood lactate, muscle strength, autonomic modulation and rate of perceived exertion in a simulated urban combat. We analyzed 20 soldiers before and after an urban combat simulation.

The results showed how urban combat produced high sympathetic nervous system activation, increasing the muscle strength, heart rate and blood lactate concentration of the soldiers. Despite this effort, rate of perceived exertion were not consistent with the physiological response that soldiers presented, the rate of perceived exertion was lower than the physiological response evaluated. Furthermore, the information processing and cortical arousal decreased after the urban combat simulation.

These results have showed the psycho-physiological response of soldiers in combat, helping to better understanding and enabling an improvement of current training methods of soldiers.

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Published
28-04-2013
How to Cite
Clemente Suárez, V. J., & Robles Pérez, J. J. (2013). Psycho-physiological response of soldiers in urban combat. Anales de Psicología / Annals of Psychology, 29(2), 598–603. https://doi.org/10.6018/analesps.29.2.150691
Issue
Vol. 29 No. 2 (2013)
Section
Psychobiology

 

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