Publication year
2013
Citation Title
Spouse psychological well-being: A keystone to military family health.
Journal Name
Journal of Human Behavior in the Social Environment
Journal Volume
23
Issue Number
6
Page Numbers
753-768
DOI
10.1080/10911359.2013.795068
Summary
Female civilian spouses of Active Duty Service members were surveyed to compare distress and stressor levels to community averages. The relationships among family stress and strain, social support, demographic variables, and distress were also assessed. Spouses of Service members reported significantly higher levels of general distress compared to the community average, with family stress and strain contributing significantly to spouses’ distress.
Key Findings
Spouses in this sample reported significantly higher levels of general psychological distress than the community average.
Spouses who reported distress above the community average had significantly less social support and more stressors and strain compared to those below the community average.
Spouses who have not graduated from college, reported poorer household finances, and first became a parent at age 24 or younger, reported significantly higher distress and family stress and strain as well as lower social support than spouses who had graduated college, reported higher household finances, and became parents at age 25 or older.
Family stress and strain contributed significantly to spouses’ psychological distress after accounting for other predictors.
Implications for Program Leaders
Design a broad range of supportive resources for Service members and their families, including both in-person and online modalities, helping family members identify and cope effectively with stress pile-up
Offer military family events to decrease feelings of isolation and increase social networks
Disseminate information regarding resources available for military spouses who are coping with psychological issues
Implications for Policy Makers
Advocate for comprehensive psychological and familial supports for Service members and their families
Recommend a systematic review of the relationship between distress/stress pile-up, family stress and strain, and social support in Service members and their families
Encourage collaboration among DoD and community based mental health services to provide comprehensive care for military spouses
Methods
Active Duty Army and Marine Corps families impacted by deployment for OIF/OEF from two West Coast military installations were recruited via mailings and flyers.
Families with an Active Duty parent either currently deployed or returned from deployment in the previous 12 months were eligible; one parent available and at least one child 6-12 years old were invited to participate.
Participants were interviewed in their home or another preferred location by trained interviewers.
Participants
One hundred sixty-one female civilian spouses of Active Duty military Service members participated.
The majority of participants were White (68%), had a mean age of 33.58 years (SD = 5.38 years), and an average of 2.8 children.
Sixty-eight percent of the spouses had recently returned from deployment, 32% were currently deployed.
Limitations
The sample was restricted to Army and Marine Corps families from two military installations; the ability to generalize to other military branches and parts of the country is unknown.
The self-selected nature of the sample may not include spouses who are struggling more or isolated.
The small samples of ethnically non-White participants precluded analyses by racial/ethnic groups who may exhibit different patterns of relationships between the variables.
Avenues for Future Research
Replicate this research in a more diverse sample would improve generalizability
Utilize qualitative data to better understand Service members’ perspectives of spouses mental health
Conduct a longitudinal design to help illuminate how stress and strain change over time and how they contribute to pile-up and mental health difficulties
Focus
Multiple Branches
Target Population
Population Focus
Military Component
Abstract
Understanding predictors of military spouse psychosocial vulnerability informs efforts to assess, identify, and support at-risk spouses and families. In this analysis, we test the effects of family stress and strain on military spouse psychological health, using a sample of female civilian spouses (n = 161). Regression findings confirm expectations of the significant contribution of family stressors, strain, and resources in explaining variation in spouses' psychological health, controlling for deployment and socioeconomic factors. Identifying the effects of family stress on military spouse psychological health supports the need for family-centered interventions and prevention programs.
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