Abstract Our study presents a robust moderation analysis that explores the impact of personal life expectations on fear of terrorism, workload, and peace of mind among military personnel. The analysis provides a clearer understanding of the relationship between these variables and sheds light on the factors that contribute to the peace of mind of military personnel. Data was collected with four instruments: the Peace of Mind Scale, the Fear of Terrorism Scale, the Workload Scale, and the Personal Life Expectations Scale. These participants, aged 19–58 (M = 38.31; SD = 8.83), were purposefully and conveniently sampled. The results show that fear of terrorism, workload, and personal life expectations negatively influenced peace of mind. Also, the result shows that personal life expectations significantly shape soldiers' responses to fear of terrorism, influencing their peace of mind. Positive personal outlooks are linked to increased resilience and improved peace of mind, even in the face of external stressors. However, the moderating effect is inconsistent across all individuals, highlighting the intricate interplay of factors influencing soldiers' peace of mind and mental well-being. These findings have implications for military support systems, underscoring the need for tailored interventions recognising individual differences and personal expectations. This study offers a greater understanding of soldiers' expectations and peace of mind experiences dealing with fear and workload pressures within the Nigerian military, with broader relevance for comparable settings worldwide. The study also provides suggestions for further studies with other implications and limitations.
Ahaiwe et al. (Wed,) studied this question.