Publication year
2012
Citation Title
An examination of the Broaden-and-Build Model of positive emotions in military marriages: An actor-partner analysis
Journal Name
Journal of Couple & Relationship Therapy
Journal Volume
11
Issue Number
3
Page Numbers
205-220
DOI
10.1080/15332691.2012.692942
Summary
Despite the stresses military life may cause for families, many military couples are very resilient. Using the broaden-and-build model of emotions, this study examined whether positive emotions, rather than negative, allow for broader cognitive processes (e.g., increased insight or meaning-making) among resilient Service members and their spouses with low marital distress. Results suggest positive emotions, particularly those of Service members, are important for fostering resilience in military couples.
Key Findings
Overall, participants used more positive than negative words while discussing deployment.
Military spouses’ negative emotions were related to less broad cognitive processes, such as less insight and meaning-making, in both members of the couple.
Service members’ positive emotions were related to more broad cognitive processes, such as more insight, in both members of the couple and had a larger effect than spouses’ emotions.
Service members’, rather than spouses’, ability to view deployment positively was most associated with broad cognitive processes and may be important for building resilience.
Implications for Program Leaders
Educate military couples on broad cognitive processes, including how to re-evaluate things more positively, and how to utilize these processes to promote relationship resilience
Offer workshops for Service members and their partners after deployment to encourage discussion of emotions, including positive emotions, about deployment experiences
Disseminate information about resources for military couples struggling with low marital satisfaction
Implications for Policy Makers
Encourage professional education for all providers working with military couples about relationship resilience and models of positive psychology, such as the broaden-and-build model
Continue to support programs that foster resilience among military families and couples
Recommend integrating resilience training and use of broad cognitive processes into existing programs that promote health and well-being among military families
Methods
Service members and their spouses, who had been in a relationship for at least one year, were recruited from two Midwest cities near Army posts via flyers, newspaper ads, and referrals.
Service members and spouses each completed in-person interviews about the effects of deployment on their relationship and questionnaires about marital satisfaction.
Interviews were analyzed to determine the frequency of statements related to positive emotions, negative emotions, and broad cognitive processes.
Participants
Participants (n = 80) included 40 male Soldiers (average age of 31.60 years) and their female spouses (average age of 30.15 years); couples had been married an average of 6.05 years.
To examine resilience, only couples with non-distressed marital satisfaction were included.
Participants identified as White (80%), Native American (8%), Black (5%), Latino (4%), and Asian-American (3%).
Service members had first been deployed during OIF (95%) or OEF (5%) and had been deployed a total of 9.88 months (SD = 3.99) on average.
Limitations
Only examining resilient couples with high marital satisfaction does not allow conclusions to be drawn about whether the pattern of results is related to marital satisfaction and resilience; a comparison group is needed.
Directions of effects cannot be inferred because of the cross-sectional study design.
No female Service members participated, limiting generalizability of the study.
Avenues for Future Research
Conduct a longitudinal study of resilience in military couples examining how positive emotions and broad cognitive processes impact multiple, long-term measures of relationship outcomes
Examine the effects of gender and role (e.g., Service member, spouse) among male and female Service members and their spouses on deployment emotions and broad cognitive processes
Investigate how level of combat exposure may impact positive emotions related to deployment
Focus
Army
Target Population
Population Focus
Military Branch
Military Component
Abstract
How emotional and cognitive processes combined to produce resilience in military marriages post-combat deployments was examined using the “broaden-and-build model of positive emotions” with 40 military couples. The model suggests that positive emotions expand, and negative emotions impede cognitive processes. Using the Actor-Partner Interdependence Model, the association between positive and negative emotions on insight-causation was examined. Actor and partner effects were found for service members’ positive emotions and spouses’ negative emotions but not for service members’ negative emotions and spouses’ positive emotions. Service members’ actor and partner effects were significantly stronger than those of their spouses. Clinical and research implications are discussed.
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