A soldier's occupation is a very stressful one, especially for junior enlisted soldiers who have little control over their highly-regimented work lives. This prospective study examined the relationship between soldier occupational stress and health and well-being 8 to 10 months later. Through an ongoing, longitudinal study of attitudes, health, and cohesion in Army units, extensive survey data were collected on lower enlisted soldiers. The 2,288 respondents with complete data on relevant variables at two time points in 1985 and 1986 were included in the analyses. The sample was divided into low, medium, and high occupational stress groups based on hours worked per week, days spent in the field away from home, and availability of free time. Illness outcome was represented by the number of doctor visits over the previous year and by an 18-item general well-being scale. Personality commitment and subjective/objective social support were considered as possible moderators of occupational stress. Analyses of covariance, controlling for Time 1 illness and psychological well-being, revealed a significant interaction effect for stress by commitment on Time 2 illness, and a significant 3-way interaction among stress, commitment, and subjective social support on Time 2 well-being. These results suggest that soliders who characteristically view their jobs as important and meaningful are less at-risk for stress-related illness, an effect sometimes enhanced by a subjective sense of available social supports. (Author)