Finding meaning in times of family stress: A mixed methods study of benefits and challenges amongst home-front parents in military families

Kritikos, T. K., DeVoe, E. R., Spencer, R., Langer, D. A., Nicholson, J. V., Mufti, F., & Tompson, M. C. (2020). Finding meaning in times of family stress: A mixed methods study of benefits and challenges amongst home-front parents in military families. Military Psychology, 32(4), 287-299. https://doi.org/10.1080/08995605.2020.1754122

Benefit-finding (i.e., perceiving benefits in the context of extreme stress or trauma) is related to positive outcomes in various populations (e.g., cancer patients) but has not been thoroughly examined in military families. Guided by the Family Adjustment and Adaptation Response (FAAR) framework, this study explored how military spouses who are also mothers perceive benefits amidst the challenges of military life. Twenty-six women filled out a questionnaire on benefit-finding and participated in an interview designed to gain qualitative information about the positive and negative aspects of life as a military spouse. Most participants were spouses of Service members in the National Guard (73.1%) whose last deployment had been, on average, seven years before the study. Four common themes emerged regarding the benefits of being a military family: (1) financial and career benefits, (2) cultivating personal strength, (3) friendships and a sense of community, and (4) pride.

DOI