Publication year
2016
Citation Title
The impact of deployment on female Italian partners of peacekeepers: Stressful experiences and coping strategies
Journal Name
Peace and Conflict: Journal of Peace Psychology
Journal Volume
22
Issue Number
2
Page Numbers
172-176
DOI
10.1037/pac0000142
Summary
Stress related to military deployment among Italian peacekeepers and their families is reportedly often denied or minimized by Italian military officials. This study is a qualitative investigation into the stressors of Italian peacekeepers' wives and partners and the coping mechanisms used to manage those stressors. Participants reported increased stress and negative emotions during deployment, as well as the need for additional services for Italian peacekeepers' families.
Key Findings
Lack of social support was the most commonly reported stressor (95%), likely due to a lack of military resources and aid and many military families moving locations during deployment.
Partners also reported common stressors of emotional desperation (90%), feeling overwhelmed or confused (80%), and infrequent communication with the deployed peacekeeper (65%).
Coping strategies focused on changing emotions, including staying distracted (90%), accepting the deployment (80%), and seeking emotional support (65%), were used most commonly.
Problem-solving coping strategies, such as planning (20%) or actively communicating with or thinking about the deployed peacekeeper (50%), were also reported.
Implications for Program Leaders
Educate military families on adaptive coping strategies to manage stress related to deployment
Offer workshops to teach military spouses skills needed to complete new household tasks and responsibilities during deployment
Connect military families who have recently moved with military programs designed to welcome new families and foster social support
Implications for Policy Makers
Continue to provide social support programs for families of deployed Service members
Promote the development of programs providing new and more reliable ways for military families to communicate with Service members during deployment
Recommend professional education on adaptive coping strategies for service providers
Methods
Italian peacekeepers’ wives and partners were recruited via email and social media postings.
In-home, semistructured interviews were used to gather data on participants’ stressors and coping strategies related to their peacekeeper’s deployment.
Interview statements were analyzed for themes by both independent coders and thematic analysis software, and statements were grouped into themes and subthemes.
Participants
The sample included 20 Italian peacekeepers’ female wives and cohabitating partners, with an average age of 31 years old.
The average length of the participants’ relationships was eight years, and 40% had children.
The large majority of peacekeepers had been located in Afghanistan (95%) during deployment.
Limitations
The small sample size and non-random sampling makes generalizing to larger groups difficult.
The methods of the study were unclear, and it is possible that the three participants reported as excluded from analyses for incomplete data may have differed from those with complete data.
Although the study categorized coping strategies of peacekeepers’ wives and partners, no theoretical model of coping was included, resulting in a vague mention of adaptive coping.
Avenues for Future Research
Examine the coping strategies military families use during deployment that are most adaptive
Investigate the effects of availability of communication with Service members during deployment on military families’ stress and well-being
Explore differences in common stressors and most frequently used coping strategies between military families with and without children
Focus
International Military
Target Population
Population Focus
Military Branch
Military Component
Abstract
Recent international studies have confirmed that peacekeeping deployment of a parent exacts a toll on partner and family, but little is known about how deployment-related stress impacts on Italian military families. This study described a qualitative research design that focused on the impact of deployment on a group of wives and cohabiting of Italian peacekeepers. Using semistructured interviews, data were collected from 20 women. The findings were grouped into 2 main themes, namely stressful experiences and coping strategies. The results showed that the women indicated the stage of deployment as a stressful experience aggravated by increased responsibility for childcare and family administration, lack of support and communication. Women reported using emotional-focused coping strategies more frequently than problem-focused coping strategies
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