Publication year
2005
Citation Title
Postdeployment domestic violence by US Army soldiers
Journal Name
Military Medicine
Journal Volume
170
Issue Number
8
Page Numbers
643-647
DOI
10.7205/MILMED.170.8.643
Summary
Deployments can have significant effects on levels of stress and family dynamics. Researchers analyzed the relationship between deployment and domestic violence in this study. Data indicated age was related to the likelihood of wives experiencing domestic violence, but deployment was not.
Key Findings
The likelihood of domestic violence did not increase during the post-deployment period.
Young women who had experienced domestic violence in their lifetime were more likely to experience abuse post-deployment than older women with no previous domestic violence incidents.
The main predictor of military wives experiencing domestic violence post-deployment was occurrences of domestic violence pre-deployment.
Implications for Program Leaders
Offer workshops for couples with a history of domestic violence to help them develop effective communication skills
Develop classes that inform military wives of risk factors for violence and the resources available to help them
Provide information regarding physical safety and general well-being to military wives with previous incidents of domestic violence
Implications for Policy Makers
Recommend regular screenings for domestic violence in Service members’ families
Encourage education for professionals who work with military families regarding factors that increase the risk of domestic violence
Continue to support assessment of the prevalence of domestic violence in the military over time, especially monitoring subgroups who are at higher risk
Methods
Researchers sent surveys to wives of Soldiers at a large U.S. Army post; there was a response rate of 30%.
Information regarding incidents of domestic violence was collected from wives of Service members who were deployed and wives of Service members that did not deploy during that same timeframe.
To determine abuse risk factors, the level of violence at pre-deployment was compared to the level of violence at post-deployment.
Participants
Average age of women whose Army husbands were deployed (N = 368) was 31.8 years old (SD = 7) and women whose husbands did not deploy (N = 528) was 30.4 years old (SD = 6.7).
Average deployment time for Army husbands was six months, with a 10 month post-deployment at the time of the study.
Limitations
The number of deployments, number of children, and number of years together were not taken into account which may have varying effects on the results.
The data were collected only after a singular deployment therefore the findings are not appropriate to compare to the risk of domestic violence throughout varying stages of the deployment cycle.
The limited response rate may mean the sample is not representative of all wives experiencing domestic violence as those who experience domestic violence may be less likely to respond to such a survey.
Avenues for Future Research
Investigate Service members in a longitudinal study to determine how the number of deployments affects cumulative risk for domestic violence
Conduct within-group comparisons for wives in the highest-risk age group to determine what other factors may be increasing risk of domestic violence
Explore what other variables are risk-factors for domestic violence for Army wives
Focus
Army
Target Population
Population Focus
Military Branch
Military Component
Abstract
The objective of this study was to determine whether a military deployment of 6 months predicted domestic violence against the wives of deployed and nondeployed soldiers during the postdeployment period. The method involved the completion of an anonymous questionnaire by a sample of the spouses of soldiers deployed from a large U.S. Army post. The Conflict Tactics Scale identified incidents of domestic violence by the soldier husbands, and a logistic regression model predicted domestic violence during the postdeployment period. The results indicate that deployment was not a significant predictor of domestic violence during the first 10 months of the postdeployment period. Younger wives and those who were victims of predeployment domestic violence were more likely to report postdeployment domestic violence. The conclusion was that interventions for domestic violence in the U.S. Army should address risks among younger couples and those with a previous incident of domestic violence.
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