Table 3: Distribution of respondents by working conditions and by level of score.

4. Discussion

4.1 Limits and merits
The main limitations of our study are the transversal nature of the study, the hetero-administered nature of the questionnaires and the relative large number of records excluded from the study. Despite these limitations, our study which is, to our knowledge, the first study, has the merit of having assessed the psychosocial risks of women in military settings, with internationally recognized valid measurement tools, on a representative sample of the female population of the armies of Burkina Faso.

4.2 Sociodemographic characteristics
Our survey showed a preponderance of young subjects (84.6%) in the target population with an average age of 25, 8 years. In France, youth was also noted in the military female staff with an average age of 31, 9 years [10], which is relatively higher than in our study. The fact that the female military population in Burkina Faso is recruited between 20 and 27 years according to the professional category, and especially the fact that the integration of female staff in the Burkinabe army is in its first decade, could explain this difference in age with the French army.

4.3 Clinical aspects
In our study 89.2% of military women complained of quantitative constraints. The evaluation of the French military condition also showed the existence of quantitative constraints within this army [9]. The presence of the constraints in our study could be explained by the fact that the profession of weapons is of constraining nature. In fact, the different services of the armies are constantly adapting their programs according to the operational imperatives related to security and defense of the territory. In addition, services of duty, guard, week guard, confinement to barracks that are recorded with disciplinary rigor are factors of exposure to psychosocial risks. Comparison between quantitative constraints and "health and well-being" showed no statistically significant link. This could be justified by the fact that "health and well-being" is a multifactorial concept and therefore is not solely due to quantitative constraints.

Our study shows that the margin of autonomy of female staff was limited, with more than half of the respondents considering that she had no autonomy in the execution of tasks. Indeed, one of the specificities of functioning in a military environment is the execution of the orders of the hierarchy without hesitation or murmuring. In the armed forces, discipline and order are required; regulations reduce freedom in the performance of tasks, even freedom of expression [7-9].

The majority of female staff (92.7%) had an average score regarding their health and well-being, which could translate the fact that the malaise is very real in the army. In the area of ??organization and leadership, 76.9% of female staff had an overall average score. 84.1% said they did not feel fulfilled in military life while 23.6% regretted the choice of military career. This result could be explained by the fact that there is rigidity within the army with sometimes what could be assimilated to a refusal to change. In this respect, it is noted that the actual service time is in majority greater than the normal scheduled time (guard, permanence) with a need to have an immediate operational availability, to be always ready to serve the homeland [7-9, 14, 17, 18]. Our study shows a lack of recognition and fairness in tasks (8.7%), a lack of predictability (31.3%), and strong scores in role conflicts (25.7%). The comparison between organization/leadership and vertical relationship showed the existence of a statistically significant link: the weaker the relationship with the superior, the weaker the organization and leadership [3, 10, 16-18]. The relationship with the superior could therefore be influenced by the organization and leadership within the armed forces.

The majority of female staff had an average score in the field of professional experience; which means that the majority had the sense of average work. The low professional experience could therefore be a source of demotivation in the service. This could explain why quantitative constraints expose female staff to psychosocial risks. In other words, professional experience negatively influences the field of "Health and Well-being". The comparison between stress and "health and well-being" showed that there was a statistically significant link. According to the European Foundation for the Improvement of Living and Working Conditions, the majority of employees suffered from stress [6]. Burn-out at the service or burn-out of female staff had a high score of 62%. This means that a large proportion of female staff face exhaustion in the practice of the profession. The comparison between burn-out and "well-being health" showed that there was a statistically significant link. In fact, the lack of balance between the situation to be managed and the adaptability of the body of the individual, the constraints that exceed the rewards, expose female military personnel to burn-out [7, 16].

Our study showed that 38.5% of female staff had a low score for emotional demands. This situation could be explained not only by the constraints within the army, but also by the singularity of the "military woman" in an army long reserved for men. More than 34.9% of the female staff in our study admitted to having been harassed morally within the National Armed Forces. According to the European Foundation for the Improvement of Living and Working Conditions, 5% of employees had been subjected to moral harassment [3]. This rate is low compared to ours, and could be explained by the fact that this study was conducted in the general population.

For sexual harassment, 7.9% of female staff admitted having been victims in the practice of their profession. This could be explained by the fact that the military woman is often seen as a "source of provocation or seduction" by some colleagues. In addition, the female morphology provokes psychological or physiological reactions in some colleagues, which may lead them to temptation and acting out. In the European magazine "EUROGIP", 3% of women have suffered sexual harassment in European companies [3]. The fact that in these armies, women have been integrated for several years could explain our differences. In addition to this, the European survey was conducted in business.

In the family/work conflict situation, 61.5% of the female staff had an average score. This indicates that female staff has difficulty reconciling family life and work. The work of the female staff takes up enough time and/or energy and is detrimental to family life [7, 8, 11]. Indeed, the hours of service within armies are long with sometimes unforeseen events and constraints related to the security situation of the country.

The majority of female staff had average scores in the horizontal relationship area. This is the relationship we have with our colleagues in the service. This reflects shortcomings in the quality of the relationship between them and male colleagues. These results could be explained by the fact that, within the ranks, there is a relationship of subordination linked to seniority in the rank and some are confronted with cases of indiscipline resulting in the refusal to perform orders.

More than 62.5% of female staff had a low score in the area of vertical relationship. This indicates that this relationship remains weak. This could be explained by the fact that orders within the armed forces always come from the superior, their execution does not take into account the physical or emotional state of the subordinate. He or she must perform them without murmuring or hesitation.

5. Conclusion

The psychosocial risk assessment shows that these risks are a reality in the national armed forces of Burkina Faso. Several factors favor these psychosocial risks at the level of the Burkinabe female military personnel. Although the presence of women is recent in our military, future studies should focus on researching the consequences of these psychosocial risks and preventing them.

6. Acknowledgments

Female staff of the FAN (National Armed Forces) of Burkina Faso, General Staff of Burkina Faso Armed Forces.

7. Conflict of Interest:

None

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