Publication year
2011
Citation Title
A postdeployment expressive writing intervention for military couples: A randomized controlled trial.
Journal Name
Journal of Traumatic Stress
Journal Volume
24
Issue Number
5
Page Numbers
581-585
DOI
10.1002/jts.20679
Summary
A sample of 102 couples recruited from Fort Hood, Texas, participated in a study examining the impact of expressive writing (writing thoughts and feelings about Soldiers' transition from deployment to being reunited with family at home) on marital satisfaction, rates of yelling, and physical health symptoms. Participants were randomly assigned to write about this emotionally-laden topic or to a neutral comparison topic (physical health), and were tracked at two time periods (1- and 6-months later). In the conditions in which Soldiers did expressive writing, the couple’s marital satisfaction improved over the course of the first month.
Key Findings
When the Soldier participated in expressive writing, the couple’s marital satisfaction increased at the one-month follow-up. This finding was especially strong for Soldiers with high levels of combat exposure.
When spouses wrote about emotional topics, marital satisfaction did not improve.
No differences in yelling, physical symptoms, or depression at any point emerged between the two types of writing.
Implications for Program Leaders
Offer a range of activities and events for the entire family to support them in the transitions associated with reintegration
Provided classes for partners of deployed Service members regarding possible challenges their loved one may face upon homecoming
Create workshops in which Service members are taught about expressive writing and possible benefits
Implications for Policy Makers
Continue to support programs that offer a wide range of support services to Service members after deployment, giving them opportunities to process their experiences, thoughts and feelings in a manner that is most comfortable
Continue to support family programs and activities over the course of the deployment cycle
Encourage training for professionals who work with military families regarding the potential benefits of expressive writing during transitions
Methods
Soldiers and their spouses married at least one year who had experienced a deployment in the previous 18 months were recruited from the Fort Hood, Texas, area via newspaper, internet, and radio advertisements.
Participants were randomly assigned to expressive writing (i.e., thoughts and feelings about reintegration) or neutral writing (i.e., physical health activities). They wrote for three 15-minute sessions on one day.
Couples completed questionnaires regarding marital satisfaction, frequency of yelling and physical violence, physical health symptoms, and demographics on the day of the writing and one and six months later.
Data were analyzed to determine whether the type of writing they engaged in had an effect on outcomes initially and over time.
Participants
One hundred two couples participated in the study. They were married on average 7.5 years (SD = 5.6 years).
Racial distribution: 66% White, 17% Latino, and 14% Black.
Average age of participants was 32 years, and 35% had a college degree.
Of the couples, 94% consisted of a male Soldier and his wife.
Limitations
This sample was limited to one branch and one geographic area, so the findings may not generalize to couples from other branches of the military or those living in different parts of the country.
Data were based on self-report instruments, which may introduce biases.
For individuals with significant health problems, writing about physical health activities may not have been a neutral topic, which may have skewed results.
Avenues for Future Research
Replicate the research using a different neutral topic that does not have as much propensity to bring forth negative associations
Explore possible effects of couples sharing their writing about their experiences with reintegration
Include couples in which one or both members are actively engaged in mental health treatment
Focus
Army
Target Population
Population Focus
Military Branch
Military Component
Abstract
The current study tested the effectiveness of a brief expressive writing intervention on the marital adjustment of 102 military couples recently reunited following a deployment to Iraq or Afghanistan. Active duty soldiers and their spouses were randomly assigned to write about either their relationship or a nonemotional topic on 3 occasions on a single day. The resulting design included 4 couple-level writing topic conditions: soldier-expressive/spouse-expressive, soldier-expressive/spouse-control, soldier-control/spouse-expressive, and soldier-control/spouse-control. Participants completed marital adjustment measures before writing, 1 month, and 6 months after writing. When soldiers, but not spouses, did expressive writing, couples increased in marital satisfaction over the next month, particularly if the soldier had had high combat exposure.
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