Publication year
2017
Citation Title
A comparison study of low trauma disclosure participants and their partners in Army couple.
Journal Name
Marriage and Family Review
Journal Volume
53
Issue Number
6
Page Numbers
556-575
DOI
10.1080/01494929.2016.1247762
Summary
Qualitative and quantitative data were used to examine the experiences of Army couples where at least one partner reported low levels of trauma (e.g., deployment, childhood abuse, assault) disclosure. Three separate groups were identified: couples where both partners reported low levels of trauma disclosure, couples where one partner reported low disclosure and the other mixed, and couples where one partner reported low disclosure and the other high. Differences in individual (e.g., post-traumatic stress disorder) and couple functioning (e.g., communication) among participants with low, mixed, and high trauma disclosure were found.
Key Findings
The low trauma disclosure group indicated both positive (e.g., increased communication, use of personal outside resources, support) and negative (e.g., increased relationship stress and adjustment, decreased communication/increased secrecy) effects on couple functioning.
The mixed trauma group reported more negative effects (e.g., increased relationship stress and conflict, decreased communication/increased secrecy, decreased cohesion) than positive effects (e.g., increased communication) on couple functioning.
The high trauma disclosure group reported only positive effects (e.g., increased communication and support) on couple functioning.
Compared to those in the low and high trauma disclosure groups, those in the mixed trauma disclosure group reported lower levels of individual and couple functioning.
Implications for Program Leaders
Provide education to military couples to enhance positive communication skills throughout the deployment cycle
Disseminate information to military couples regarding trauma disclosure and its impact on individual and relationship functioning
Offer reintegration workshops aimed at helping Service members and their partners adjust to post-deployment relationship changes
Implications for Policy Makers
Continue to support programs that enhance couple functioning throughout the deployment cycle
Continue to promote reintegration programs that help Service members and their families learn to effectively adjust to life after Service members return from deployment
Recommend training for service providers regarding trauma disclosure in couples and its impact on individual and relationship functioning
Methods
Participants were recruited as part of a larger study examing trauma in 50 Army (Active Duty and Reserve) couples. Participants had to be at least 18 years of age and married for one or more years to a partner who deployed to Iraq or Afganistan.
Participants were recruited via flyers, newspaper ads, Family Readiness Groups, chaplains, military contacts, and snowball sampling.
Data were collected between 2004-2005; participants completed survey questions and separate 45-90 minute, semi-structured interviews regarding their trauma experiences and couple functioning.
Only data from couples with at least one partner reporting a low level of trauma disclosure were included in the current study (n = 13 couples, 26 individuals).
Participants
Fifteen participants (10 male, 5 female) were in the low trauma disclosure group, seven in the mixed trauma disclosure group (1 male, 6 female), and four in the high trauma disclosure group (2 male, 2 female).
The average length of marriage was 5.98 years, with the majority of participants being in their first marriage (58%).
Most participants were White (69.2%) and between the ages of 19-51 years (M = 32.4 years).
Limitations
Data for this study were collected over 10 years ago when multiple deployments were less common; therefore, results may not be representative of couples who experienced multiple deployments.
Trauma disclosure in this study included both prior trauma and military-related trauma, but the type of trauma disclosed could effect couple functioning differently and type of trauma was not accounted for in the analyses.
Only Army couples were included in this study, which limits the generalizability of results to other service branches.
Avenues for Future Research
Examine the long-term effects of trauma disclosure on individual and couple functioning
Continue to explore how other characteristics (e.g., years of marriage, psychological well-being of partners) influence relationship satisfaction and functioning
Further investigate why a pattern of mixed trauma disclosure more negatively influences individual and couple functioning than either a high and low trauma disclosure pattern
Focus
Army
Target Population
Population Focus
Military Branch
Military Component
Abstract
Intimate partner relationships provide unique conditions for examining how the interpersonal and/or systemic impact of trauma exposure and post-trauma responses can impact both the primary and secondary trauma survivors and the interpersonal dynamics of the couple. The current study explored qualitative and quantitative data from low trauma disclosure individuals (n = 15) and their partners to understand the experiences of low trauma disclosure to spouses in a sample of Army couples. Contrary to the original hypothesis, the results indicated mixed trauma disclosure partners seemed to be functioning at lower individual and relationship functioning levels than the low or high trauma disclosure partners. Implications for practice and future research also are described.
Abstract Document
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