Role of military context and couple well-being in the psychological vulnerability of military wives in the United States

Lucier-Greer, M., & Campbell, D. R. (2024). Role of military context and couple well-being in the psychological vulnerability of military wives in the United States. Journal of Military, Veteran and Family Health, 10(2), 37–46. https://doi.org/10.3138/jmvfh-2023-0065

Using a socioecological perspective emphasizing the influence of multiple environmental contexts on individuals, this study examined how aspects of military life and couple relationships contributed to the psychological vulnerability (i.e., depressive symptoms and personal well-being) of 222 Army wives. Military-related factors, including social support from the military community, satisfaction with military life, and total months separated from one’s husband due to deployment, were considered more distal influences on psychological vulnerability. Conversely, couple well-being, a latent variable reflective of marital quality, relationship communication satisfaction, and relationship warmth, was conceptualized as a more proximal indicator of psychological vulnerabilities. As anticipated, couple well-being was more strongly linked to wives’ psychological vulnerabilities than military-related factors.

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