Publication year
2017
Citation Title
“We walk on eggshells”: A phenomenological inquiry of wives’ experiences of living with active-duty Marine husbands with PTSD.
Journal Name
Journal of Family Social Work
Journal Volume
20
Issue Number
2
Page Numbers
162-181
DOI
10.1080/10522158.2017.1279579
Summary
Interview data from wives of Active-Duty Marines were utilized to explore wives' experiences of living with a husband with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) following deployment. Wives reported changes in roles and family functioning and discussed their lack of education and training regarding how PTSD could impact family functioning.
Key Findings
Wives experienced confusion, pain, and fear of their husbands due to the unpredictability of PTSD.
Wives felt unprepared to handle the symptoms related to PTSD and had to take on different roles to care for their Service member spouse.
Wives were confused regarding the conflicting messages they received about where to get help and the repercussions of seeking help for Service members.
Wives expressed interest in connecting with other spouses and emphasized the importance of understanding the symptoms associated with PTSD.
Implications for Program Leaders
Provide education for spouses of Service members regarding the potential effects of deployment on the Service members mental and physical health
Provide support services to spouses related to how symptoms of PTSD manifest and influence family functioning
Provide education and support services to children and adolescents during the reintegration process to foster healthy coping and transition once a deployed parent returns home
Implications for Policy Makers
Continue to support programs and services that work with military families throughout the deployment cycle
Continue to support awareness campaigns that focus on reducing the stigma associated with mental health care utilization for military Service members and their families following deployment
Recommend education for service providers working with military families regarding the possible effects of deployment on Service members and their families
Methods
Participants were recruited through social media, flyers, and snowball sampling.
Data were collected through semi-structured interviews with open-ended questions.
Participants had to be at least 18 years of age, married to an Active Duty male Marine with a PTSD diagnosis, and have access to military benefits.
Participants
The sample consisted of eight wives of male Active-Duty Marine Corps members.
The majority of participants were White (75%), were between the ages of 25-35 years, and had been married for at least three years.
The majority of wives experienced between one to five deployments; two wives experienced six or more deployments.
Limitations
Only wives of Marines were included in this study, therefore results may not reflect the experiences of wives with Service members in other branches of the military.
Due to the small sample size (n = 8), results may not accurately represent all Marine Wives' experiences regarding living with a Marine spouse with PTSD.
The use of a snowball sampling method may have biased the results because participants were not randomly selected.
Avenues for Future Research
Examine how stigma related to mental health issues in the military hinder mental health care utilization for military families
Explore the impact of mental health help-seeking on career advancement for Service members
Continue to explore the effects PTSD has on family functioning, particularly for youth within military families
Focus
Marines
Target Population
Population Focus
Military Branch
Military Component
Abstract
In this qualitative study, the authors explored the lived experiences of wives married to active-duty male Marines who have a diagnosis of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). The first author and primary investigator conducted in-depth interviews with eight women, all of whom had been married more than 3 years and experienced at least one deployment while married. Transcendental phenomenology was used to gain an understanding of each woman’s experience. The central research question in this study was “What is it like to live with an active-duty male Marine with PTSD?” Findings demonstrated five essential themes: (1) the unpredictability of living with someone with PTSD, (2) the spouse had to take on different roles, (3) the wives felt unprepared to handle PTSD, (4) the wives received different messages when trying to seek help for their husbands, and (5) the wives wanted to send messages to other wives living with Marines with PTSD.
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