Hitting Home: Relationships Between Recent Deployment, Posttraumatic Stress Symptoms, and Marital Functioning for Army Couples

Using a sample of 434 couples consisting of active duty Army husbands married to civilian wives, relationships between recent deployment, current posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms, and a range of marital outcomes were investigated. Self-reports from both husbands and wives regarding rela...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of family psychology 2010-06, Vol.24 (3), p.280-288
Main Authors: Allen, Elizabeth S, Rhoades, Galena K, Stanley, Scott M, Markman, Howard J
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adult
Adult and adolescent clinical studies
Anxiety disorders. Neuroses
Armed forces
Armies
Army Personnel
Biological and medical sciences
Childrearing Practices
Civilians
Communication
Couple and family
Couples
Coups d'Etat
Deployment
Emotional Trauma
Female
Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology
Human
Humans
Husbands
Interpersonal Relations
Male
Marital Relations
Marital Satisfaction
Marriage - psychology
Married couples
Medical sciences
Military Deployment
Military Personnel - psychology
Parenting - psychology
Personal relationships
Personal Satisfaction
Post traumatic stress disorder
Posttraumatic Stress Disorder
Psychological aspects
Psychological Tests
Psychology. Psychoanalysis. Psychiatry
Psychology. Psychophysiology
Psychopathology. Psychiatry
Relationship Quality
Social psychology
Spouses
Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic - psychology
Symptoms
Time Factors
Wives
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Summary:Using a sample of 434 couples consisting of active duty Army husbands married to civilian wives, relationships between recent deployment, current posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms, and a range of marital outcomes were investigated. Self-reports from both husbands and wives regarding relationship functioning did not differ between couples who were and were not separated due to deployment in the prior year. However, deployment in the past year was related to higher levels of current PTSD symptoms for husbands, and husbands' current PTSD symptoms were associated with lower marital satisfaction, confidence in the relationship, positive bonding between the spouses, parenting alliance, and dedication to the relationship for both husbands and wives. In addition, husbands' current PTSD symptoms were associated with higher levels of negative communication for both husbands and wives, and lower satisfaction with sacrifice for the relationship for husbands. Once positive bonding, negative communication, and parenting alliance were controlled, husband PTSD symptoms no longer significantly predicted marital satisfaction for wives. Husband PTSD symptoms continued to exert a significant, but reduced, unique effect on husband marital satisfaction once these variables were accounted for. The results provide greater understanding of the relationship of deployment/PTSD symptoms and marital functioning and suggest areas for intervention with military couples.
ISSN:0893-3200
1939-1293
DOI:10.1037/a0019405