Publication year
2015
Citation Title
The impact of infidelity on combat-exposed service members.
Journal Name
Journal of Traumatic Stress
Journal Volume
28
Issue Number
5
Page Numbers
418-425
DOI
10.1001/jts.22033
Summary
During frequent and lengthy deployments, infidelity may be a concern for Service members and their significant others. This study examined how combat-exposed Service members’ experiences of infidelity during deployment were associated with post-deployment mental health. Findings suggest a relationship between infidelity and increased mental health symptoms.
Key Findings
Compared to those who did not report infidelity, those who did had higher levels of posttraumatic stress symptomatology (PTSS) and depression symptom severity.
Reported infidelity lead to more post-deployment life stressors which were associated with an increase in mental health problems.
The strength of the relationship between infidelity and post-deployment mental health were similar for men and women.
Implications for Program Leaders
Offer relationship workshops for military couples who are vulnerable to acts of infidelity
Offer support groups for military couples coping with infidelity issues
Collaborate with community-based professionals to provide additional support to military couples who report or have infidelity concerns
Implications for Policy Makers
Promote training for mental health professionals on how to best help Service members process emotions around relationship concerns to alleviate their distress
Recommend that treatment of mental health concerns include attention to relationship issues that may exacerbate symptoms
Suggest that Service members be assessed for relationship concerns after combat exposure in order to support their mental health
Methods
A random sampling of 3,053 potential participants were selected from a Defense Manpower Data Center roster; 19% responded and were eligible to participate.
Researchers mailed surveys to measure infidelity experiences and concerns, PTSS, depression symptom severity, postdeployment stressors, and social support.
The data collected were analyzed to determine the relationship between infidelity experiences during deployment and postdeployment mental health.
Participants
Participants were 571 (392 men, 337 women) who had deployed and expressed infidelity concerns.
The majority of participants were White (77%), and had a mean age of 35.83 years.
Seventy-seven percent of the sample self-identified as White, 10.9% as Black, and 11.1% as Latino/Latina.
Fifty-six percent of participants were deployed from Active Duty and 44% from the National Guard or Reserves; most participants were Army (67%).
Limitations
Due to self-report measures, participant responses may have been affected by their current mental health and relationship status.
Because of the cross-sectional nature of this study, cause and effect could not be determined among the variables.
Researchers did not clarify the details on the upsetting deployment-related events leading to a wide variety of responses not necessarily related to combat exposure, which could influence the results.
Avenues for Future Research
Examine the effect of Service members engaging in infidelity themselves
Explore the differences between other types of infidelity (e.g., sexual vs. emotional)
Evaluate this relationship with different types of couples (e.g., married vs. unmarried, heterosexual vs. homosexual)
Focus
Multiple Branches
Target Population
Population Focus
Military Branch
Military Component
Abstract
This study examined relationships between combat-exposed Operation Enduring Freedom/Operation Iraqi Freedom Veterans’ experiences related to infidelity during deployment (i.e., indicating that a partner was unfaithful or reporting concern about potential infidelity) and postdeployment mental health, as well as the role of subsequent stress exposure and social support in these associations. The sample consisted of 571 individuals (338 men). There were 128 participants (22.2%) who indicated that their partners were unfaithful during their most recent deployment. Of the remaining 443 participants, 168 (37.8%) indicated that they were concerned that their partners might have been unfaithful. Individuals who indicated that their partners were unfaithful exhibited higher levels of posttraumatic stress symptomatology (? = .08; f2= .18) and depression symptom severity (? = .09; f2 = .14), compared to individuals who did not indicate that their partners were unfaithful. For both men and women, reported infidelity was associated with mental health indirectly via postdeployment life stressors, whereas infidelity concerns were indirectly associated with mental health via postdeployment life stressors for men only. Findings suggested that infidelity can have a significant impact on combat-exposed Veterans’ mental health and highlight the need for additional research on this understudied topic within the military population.
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