Nehring, N. (2018). Military deployment, coping strategies, and relationship satisfaction. Dissertation Abstracts International: Section B: The Sciences and Engineering. ProQuest Information & Learning.

Deployment
Other

Air Force
Army
Marine Corps
Multiple branches
Navy

Active Duty

Spouse of service member or veteran

Adulthood (18 yrs & older)
Young adulthood (18 - 29 yrs)
Thirties (30 - 39 yrs)
Middle age (40 - 64 yrs)

Quantitative Study

Nehring, Nina

Military deployment can be a tremendous stressor on service members and their families. Stress associated with deployment can negatively impact the mental health and subjective well-being of not only service members but also their partners and put a strain on the relationship. Divorce rates among military personnel are higher than in the civilian population. Many studies have been conducted examining the mental health of soldiers returning from Iraq or Afghanistan, but few studies and interventions have considered the effects this deployment can have on the soldier's family. This research project explored what coping strategies partners of military personnel utilized while their partner was deployed, and the relationship between coping strategies utilized and relationship satisfaction. Additionally, this work served as a pilot study to determine how to best explore this phenomenon, evaluate feasibility, and identify design issues. It was hypothesized that more adaptive coping strategies are associated with higher relationship satisfaction and that less adaptive coping strategies are associated with lower relationship satisfaction. Thirty-one partners of military personnel completed the Ways of Coping Questionnaire (WAYS) and the Couples Satisfaction Index (CSI). Results were analyzed using a correlational analysis and showed a significant, moderate, negative linear relationship between relationship satisfaction and the coping styles of accepting responsibility and escape-avoidance, confirming the hypothesis that less adaptive coping strategies are associated with lower relationship satisfaction. The results of this pilot study can serve to inform feasibility and methodologic considerations of studying this phenomenon. Further and more in-depth research on this topic may then contribute to program development supporting stay-at-home partners' coping with stress during the deployment phase.

ProQuest Information & Learning

Dissertations & Theses

John F. Kennedy University, Psychology, NN