The impact of the military lifestyle on adult military children relationships
- Freeman, B., Georgia Salivar, E., & Thayer, K. K. (2024). The impact of the military lifestyle on adult military children relationships. Couple and Family Psychology: Research and Practice, 13(1), 1–14. https://doi.org/10.1037/cfp0000252
- Attachment theory emphasizes the influence of one’s early relationships with their parents on later romantic relationships. Informed by attachment theory, this study compared individual and relational functioning between adult children from military families and adult children from civilian families. 584 adults reported their attachment tendencies (i.e., secure, anxious, or avoidant), alexithymia (i.e., difficulty identifying and describing emotions), relationship functioning (i.e., intimacy, couple satisfaction, relationship commitment, and intimate partner aggression), and demographic and military background characteristics. Links between military characteristics (e.g., number of and age during parental deployments or military-related relocations) and relationship functioning were also examined among adult military children. Overall, adult military and civilian children demonstrated similar levels of secure attachment and relationship functioning; however, military children reported, on average, more anxious and avoidant attachment tendencies and greater alexithymia.
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