Publication year
2012
Citation Title
Depressive symptoms among US Military spouses during deployment: The protective effect of positive emotions.
Journal Name
Armed Forces & Society
Journal Volume
38
Issue Number
3
Page Numbers
373-390
DOI
10.1177/0095327X11428785
Summary
Researchers examined the relationship between stress and depressive symptoms in military spouses during deployment and how that relationship varied based on levels of positivity. More perceived stress was associated with higher levels of reported depressive symptoms, but for spouses who exhibited high levels of positivity, that relationship was weaker than for those with low levels of positivity.
Key Findings
The presence of high positivity in wives of deployed Soldiers minimized the influence of stress on depressive symptoms.
Elevated levels of positivity protected spouses from developing depressive symptoms when the spouse was experiencing high or low levels of stress.
These spouses were more likely to be in the very high range of positivity or the very low range of positivity than was seen in studies with civilian samples.
A significant portion of the spouses (39%) reported moderately severe levels of depression.
Implications for Program Leaders
Develop curricula to include in workshops, such as tools for developing gratitude or optimism, to increase the positivity of military spouses
Focus on prevention opportunities for education and growth that serve to buffer families against the effect of stressors
Teach families to utilize strategies from positive psychology such as gratitude, finding positive meaning, and connecting with others as a way to increase resilience
Implications for Policy Makers
Support programs that encourage building protective factors for families before deployment
Encourage training for professionals who work with families that highlights the importance of increasing positive emotions in addition to decreasing negative emotions
Continue to recommend extra support for spouses during deployment, given the high number of spouses reporting moderately severe levels of depression
Methods
Participants voluntarily completed surveys during Spouse Appreciation Day or obtained access to an online version of the survey through advertisements on a website for spouses of deployed Soldiers.
The surveys included questions to measure characteristics of deployment, perceived stress, positivity, and depressive symptoms.
Data were analyzed to determine the relationship between stress and depressive symptoms and to see if that relationship differed between women with high and low positivity.
Participants
Participants were 367 wives of deployed Soldiers stationed at Fort Hood in Texas, with an average age of 27 years old (SD=5.75).
The women were White (66%), Latina (18%), Black (11%), Asian (3%), Native American (1%), and other races (1%).
They had been married 5 years on average, 83% had children, and 22% were employed outside the home.
Husbands were junior enlisted Soldiers (53%), non-commissioned officers (34%), and commissioned officers (13%) with an average length of deployment of 11 months.
Limitations
Participants were gathered through a convenience sample and thus may not be representative of the population as a whole.
Only spouses of Service members stationed at Fort Hood participated, which may limit generalizability.
Surveys relied upon self-report, which may create biases within the responses.
Data collected do not allow for conclusions about causality.
Avenues for Future Research
Determine whether the finding that military spouses were more likely to score in the very high or very low ranges of positivity is specific to deployments or can be generalized to the population as a whole
Evaluate efficacy of programs that aim to increase positivity or other protective factors
Follow participants over time to determine the trajectories of spouses' depressive symptoms beyond the deployment period
Focus
Army
Target Population
Population Focus
Military Branch
Military Component
Abstract
Using the Broaden-and-Build Theory of Positive Emotions, the relationships among stress, positivity, and depressive symptoms were examined in a sample of military spouses during deployment (N = 367). Over one-third of the spouses reported moderately severe levels of depressive symptoms. After controlling for demographic and deployment variables, stress had a positive association with depressive symptoms (b = .59, p < .001), while positivity had a negative association (b = .39, p < .001). Positivity was also found to play a moderating role on the relationship between stress and depressive symptoms (b = .29, p < .001). Spouses with lower positivity reported more depressive symptoms at both low and high levels of stress compared to those with higher positivity. The final model, including both direct and moderating variables, accounted for 69 percent of the total variance in depressive symptoms. Practical implications are discussed in terms of the importance of developing positivity in military spouses.
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