Publication year
2014
Citation Title
Strong army couples: A case study of rekindling marriage after combat deployment
Journal Name
Research in Nursing & Health
Journal Volume
38
Issue Number
1
Page Numbers
18-Jul
DOI
10.1002/nur.21630
Summary
Couples' relationship quality can be greatly impacted by stressful life events; posttraumatic stress symptoms (PTSS) in at least one partner of the couple can increase that stress. The role of PTSS in couple functioning during reintegration was explored in this study. Findings revealed several strategies of which individuals and couples engaged in to overcome post-deployment challenges.
Key Findings
To rekindle their marriages during reintegration, spouses allowed negative emotions, gave each other time and space to do the work of rediscovery and accept a changed reality, and recognized and addressed individual needs of the other.
Successful reintegration among couples included: going with the flow, opening your heart, becoming best friends, maintaining trust, and communicating effectively.
As a family, two strategies used by couples in rekindling their marriages were normalizing schedules and family time.
Implications for Program Leaders
Educate families on beneficial ways to rekindle marriages following times of transition
Offer support groups for couples that promote healthy communication, relationship building, and family well-being
Provide ongoing education regarding stress related to military-life for Service members and their families
Implications for Policy Makers
Support the development of interventions that promote healthy ways for families to maintain successful marriages
Propose ongoing and longer-term follow ups for Service members who have PTSS
Continue to advocate for the availability of high quality reintegration support and resources for Service members and their families
Methods
Online recruitment of couples with at least one spouse with PTSS involved announcements in military magazines, websites, blogs, and Facebook pages.
Couples participated in open-ended, semi-structured telephone interviews asking them about their experiences with deployment and reintegration.
Common themes on how couples rekindled their marriages following a deployment were analyzed and categorized into separate cases by each couple’s experiences.
Participants
Five couples (10 participants) with high scores of couple functioning, resilience, and couple satisfaction were interviewed for this in-depth case study.
Participants were predominately White, non-Hispanic, and heterosexual married couples (90%), with an age range from 19 to 49 years.
Two spouses served in the National Guard and four were Active Duty (one dual service couple); two were non-commissioned sergeants, one enlisted, two warrant officers, and one officer.
Limitations
Couples with lower levels of couple functioning and satisfaction were underrepresented in this study, leading to an incomplete understanding of how all couples are affected during reintegration.
Participants were all currently receiving counseling, thus individuals who did receive counseling may have different opinions and experiences regarding reintegration and marriage rekindling strategies.
This study only used data from the Army which limits the ability to generalize the data to other branches in the military.
Avenues for Future Research
Utilize samples of couples who are of more diverse races, ethnicities, and various types of relationships in hopes to develop and test interventions that support healthy couples and families
Include children in the study to obtain a more complete picture of family reintegration in both successful and struggling families
Include information on other branches of the military as well as Service members with multiple deployments
Focus
Army
Target Population
Population Focus
Military Branch
Military Component
Abstract
Posttraumatic stress symptoms (PTSS), occurring in 15% of combatexposed military personnel, are associated with a decrease in couples' relationship quality. The purpose of this analysis was to describe reintegration in Army couples with high couple functioning, despite PTSS in one or both partners. Reintegration refers to readjustment after deployment; returning to previous role(s). In a mixedmethods case study of Army couples with a history of combat deployment, we used existing quantitative data to define sampling boundaries, select cases, and guide interviews. Couples scoring high on couple functioning, resilience, and couple satisfaction were interviewed (N_5 couples, 10 participants). “Rekindling marriage” required strategies to overcome challenges during couple reintegration. For participants as individuals, those strategies were allowing negative emotions, giving each other time and space to do the work of rediscovery and accepting a changed reality, and recognizing and addressing individual needs of the other. As couples, strategies were to go with the flow, open your heart, become best friends, maintain trust, and communicate effectively. As families, strategies were to normalize schedules and protect family time. Findings offer a preliminary basis for interventions to promote strong relationships for military couples with PTSS
Attach