Publication year
2008
Citation Title
Marital satisfaction before and after deployments associated with the global war on terror.
Journal Name
Psychological Reports
Journal Volume
103
Issue Number
3
Page Numbers
836-844
DOI
10.2466/pr0.103.3.836-844
Summary
The relationship between symptoms of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in male Veterans from different service eras and their female partners' desire for change in the relationship was examined. Veterans with higher PTSD symptom severity, particularly emotional numbing, had partners that reported desire for change in intimate and shared activities.
Key Findings
There was no significant relationship between marital satisfaction and the five deployment groups.
Marital satisfaction for pre-deployment and post-deployment military groups did not differ.
Service members who anticipated an upcoming deployment or recently returned from deployment reported less marital satisfaction than individuals (Service members and civilians) not involved in military deployment.
Implications for Program Leaders
Provide pre- and post-deployment marriage support, given that relationship satisfaction may be lower at these times
Offer pre- and post-deployment workshops to educate Service members and spouses about coping mechanisms and interpersonal strategies that can help increase marital satisfaction
Implement family support groups for military families that experience marital conflict and are considering divorce
Implications for Policy Makers
Urge the use of marital counseling as part of the reintegration process for Service members and their families
Develop initiatives to disperse education materials to military families at each stage of the deployment cycle that discuss warning signs of marital conflict and how to access support services
Encourage collaboration with community-based mental health service providers to assist military families who are undergoing a divorce
Methods
Self-report data were gathered from civilians as well as Active Duty and Reserve (Army, Navy, and Marine Corps) Service members. Detailed recruitment methods for this study were not provided.
Participants provided their demographic data and completed the Kansas Marital Satisfaction Scale.
Differences in marital satisfaction were measured across five different groups: civilian (n = 23), military (not alerted, not deployed, n = 6), military (alerted, not deployed, n = 13), military (alerted and mobilized for deployment, n = 4), and military (post-deployment, n = 74).
Participants
Participants included two different groups surveyed at different times; group one included 46 male civilians (n = 23) and Reserve members (n = 23) and the second included 74 recently returned Active Duty Army members.
The Reserve members in group one were Army National Guard (n = 13), Marine Corps Reserve (n = 5), Army Reserve (n = 3), or Navy Reserve (n = 2). No other demographic data for group one was provided.
The majority of participants in group two were White and were on average 30.7 years old (SD = 6.9 years).
Limitations
The inclusion of civilian and Service member data in analyses make it difficult to understand differences between the samples.
There is a lack of information about sampling procedures and low numbers of participants in each group which raises concerns about potential generalizability of results.
The pre-deployment sample included only Reserve personnel and the post-deployment sample included only Active Duty personnel, presenting possible confounds in comparisons.
Avenues for Future Research
Include larger samples that have greater variability in gender composition
Utilize a longitudinal design to assess individual changes across time
Examine whether military spouses' marital satisfaction changes across the deployment cycle
Focus
Army
Target Population
Population Focus
Military Branch
Military Component
Abstract
Previously, McLeland and Sutton (2005) assessed marital satisfaction among 46 male civilians and Reserve Component personnel, some of the latter having been alerted for a future deployment. Subsequently, marital satisfaction was also assessed for 74 male Active Component Army personnel who had recently returned from duty in a combat zone. Marital satisfaction scores were compared across personnel status. Mixed results were obtained from an analysis of variance comparing the five subgroups of personnel; however, when the three types of deployment groups were contrasted with the civilian and never-deployed military groups, substantial (ES = 0.55) and significant (p < .005) differences in marital satisfaction were observed. Although exploratory, these data indicate that predeployment and postdeployment situations are stressful for military members and may be associated with lower marital satisfaction for months before and months after a deployment, as well as during the deployment. Furthermore, changes in marital or relationship satisfaction may be more sensitive and timely as indicators of any stressful effects of deployments and separation on military families than changes in marital or relationship stability.
Abstract Document
PRTW Document
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