Publication year
2014
Citation Title
Meaningfulness of service and marital satisfaction in Army couples.
Journal Name
Journal of Family Psychology
Journal Volume
28
Issue Number
5
Page Numbers
701-706
DOI
10.1037/fam0000013
Summary
Questionnaires of married couples (U.S. Army husband and civilian wife) investigated reported meaningfulness of service in relation to Army couples' marital satisfaction while accounting for Service members' posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms. For spouses, perceived meaningfulness of service is linked with overall higher marital satisfaction, even when accounting for Service members' PTSD symptoms.
Key Findings
Service member PTSD symptom severity was associated with lower marital satisfaction for both Service members and spouses.
For spouses, perceived meaningfulness of service is linked with overall higher marital satisfaction, even when accounting for Service members' PTSD. This finding was independent of Service members' reported meaningfulness of service.
For Service members, higher meaningfulness of service was only associated with increased marital satisfaction if their spouse also perceived higher meaningfulness.
Implications for Program Leaders
Offer workshops to military couples that encourage them to discuss their perceptions of the value, importance, honor, and the meaning they attribute to their military service
Provide pre- and post-deployment workshops to military couples that focus on strengthening and maintaining strong relationships throughout the deployment cycle
Dispense information regarding the impact deployment has on marital satisfaction and the importance of a shared meaning of service
Implications for Policy Makers
Continue to support programs aimed at enhancing family readiness
Encourage collaboration among DoD and community-based programs to offer continued support to military families throughout the deployment cycle
Recommend education for service providers regarding post-deployment PTSD symptomology and its impact on marital functioning and satisfaction
Methods
The sample consisted of a subset of couples who completed a larger study that included a two-day marriage education workshop on two different Army installations.
Couples had to be married, have at least one Active Duty partner, speak and read English, and not have previously participated in a similar couple's workshop.
Participants were recruited via poster, brochures, media stories, and referrals from military chaplains.
Participants
Participants included 606 married couples comprised of an Active Duty U.S. Army husband and a civilian wife.
Sixty-two percent of the Service members reported a deployment in the previous year, with an average duration of 11.29 months (SD = 3.61).
Most Service members were White (70%), noncommission officers (49%) or junior enlisted (38%), and had an average age of 28.66 years (SD = 5.94 years).
Limitations
The study was cross-sectional and causality cannot be inferred from these results.
All measures were self-reported and may be biased.
These results may not generalize beyond male Army and female civilian couples.
Avenues for Future Research
Conduct longitudinal studies to explore whether partners in more satisfying relationships are more likely to place higher value on their spouses' military service
Explore the meaningfulness of service in the context of broader values
Explore how meaningfulness of service and marital satisfaction influence rates of separation and divorce among military couples
Focus
Army
Target Population
Population Focus
Military Branch
Military Component
Abstract
The vast numbers of military service members who have been deployed since 2001 highlights the need to better understand relationships of military couples. A unique consideration in military couples is the concept of meaningfulness of service, or the value service members and their partners place on military service in spite of the sacrifices it requires. In a sample of 606 Army couples, the authors used path analysis to examine how male service members and female spouses perceived meaningfulness of service added to the prediction of marital satisfaction in both members of the couple, when accounting for service members' PTSD symptoms. Spouses' perceived meaningfulness of service was linked with higher marital satisfaction in spouses, regardless of service member's perceived meaningfulness of service. Service members' perceived meaningfulness of service was also associated with increased marital satisfaction in service members, but only when their spouses also perceived higher meaningfulness. There were no significant interactions between service members' PTSD and either partner's perceived meaningfulness. Implications for enhanced attention to spousal perceptions of meaningfulness of service are discussed.
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