Publication year
2014
Citation Title
Impact of combat deployment on psychological and relationship health: A longitudinal study.
Journal Name
Journal of Traumatic Stress
Journal Volume
27
Issue Number
1
Page Numbers
58-65
DOI
10.1002/jts.21890
Summary
Survey data of members of the U.S. Air Force security forces assigned to a year-long high-threat ground mission in Iraq were used to determine the degree to which Airmen’s emotional and behavioral health and committed relationships were adversely impacted by an extended deployment to a warzone. Participants completed mental health and relationship measures just prior to and 6-9 months after deployment. Deployment to a warzone negatively impacted Airman's emotional and behavioral health, as well as their relationship functioning.
Key Findings
Higher levels of relationship distress pre-deployment and increases in relationship distress during deployment predicted lower frequency of communication during deployment.
More relationship distress and higher levels of depression predicted lower self-rated duty performance among the deployed Airmen.
Relationship distress increased significantly during deployment for many Service members (34%), but decreased for others (14%).
Implications for Program Leaders
Offer workshops that help military couples in the pre-deployment phase create a reasonable plan for communication during deployment
Provide education to military couples to enhance relationship quality and communication to help couples effectively cope with deployment-related stressors
Provide support groups for spouses of Service members who are currently deployed
Implications for Policy Makers
Continue to support the development of programs that aim to increase Service members’ relationship quality
Encourage training for community providers about stressors that may come with different phases of the deployment cycle so that they can best support families during those times
Recommend Service members have as much access as possible to various methods of communication with their families during deployment
Methods
Participants were part of two detachments of Airmen who were deployed to Iraq.
Airmen were surveyed at three time points in the deployment cycle: pre-deployment, in-theater, and post-deployment. These surveys included questions about relationship functioning, depression, communication with romantic partners, and the impact of relationship concerns on duty performance.
Participants were recruited during their pre-deployment training, which occurred 30 prior to deploying to Iraq.
Participants
Participants were 144 Airmen in significant romantic relationships.
Of the Airmen, the majority (89%) were male with an average age of 26.8 years (SD = 6.3).
In the sample, 63% were White, 18% were Black, 8% were Latino/Latina, 6% were Asian-American, 1% was Native American, and 4% were other races.
Limitations
All participants were part of two very similar deployments, therefore these results may not be generalizable to Service members experiencing different types of deployments.
This study relied upon self-reports of duty performance, which may not be an accurate measurement as problems in this area may have been under-reported.
The sample was limited to Airmen, so it is unknown whether similar associations exist for members of other military branches.
Avenues for Future Research
Explore factors that distinguish couples who experience an increase in relationship distress during deployment from those who experience decreased distress
Gather information from partners as well as Service members during the deployment cycle
Incorporate objective measures of duty performance
Focus
Air Force
Target Population
Population Focus
Military Branch
Military Component
Abstract
Although previous research has indicated an elevated prevalence of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and other mental health problems among veterans of Operations Iraqi Freedom and Enduring Freedom following deployment, most of this research has been cross-sectional and has focused on a limited range of military groups and outcome criteria. This investigation was a longitudinal study of U.S. Air Force security forces assigned to a year-long high-threat ground mission in Iraq to determine the degree to which airmen’s emotional and behavioral health and committed relationships were adversely impacted by an extended deployment to a warzone. Participants were a cohort of 164 security forces airmen tasked to a 365-day deployment to train Iraqi police. Airmen completed study measures both prior to and 6–9 months following deployment. Rates of deterioration in individual and interpersonal adjustment were both significant and medium to large in magnitude of effect, d = 0.43 to 0.90. Results suggest that the negative effects of deployment are related to levels of traumatic experiences and do not spontaneously remit within the first 6–9 months following return from deployment—particularly among those service members having relatively lower levels of social support.
Abstract Document
PRTW Document
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