Generalized Anxiety and Relational Uncertainty as Predictors of Topic Avoidance During Reintegration Following Military Deployment

Service members and their romantic partners often encounter communication problems after deployment. In one study, 220 returning Service members talked about their topic avoidance (i.e., topics that they avoided talking about) with their partner after deployment. In a second study, 118 military couples answered questions regarding their symptoms of generalized anxiety, relational uncertainty (i.e., having questions about the status of a relationship), and topic avoidance. Results revealed eight avoided topics and indicated an association between anxiety, relational uncertainty, and topic avoidance.