Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2010 Jun;24(3):280-288.
doi: 10.1037/a0019405.

Hitting home: relationships between recent deployment, posttraumatic stress symptoms, and marital functioning for Army couples

Elizabeth S Allen  1 , Galena K Rhoades  2 , Scott M Stanley  2 , Howard J Markman  2
Affiliations

Hitting home: relationships between recent deployment, posttraumatic stress symptoms, and marital functioning for Army couples

Elizabeth S Allen et al. J Fam Psychol. 2010 Jun.

Abstract

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.

PubMed Disclaimer

References

    1. Abidin RR, Brunner JF. Development of a parenting alliance inventory. Journal of Clinical Child Psychology. 1995;24:31–40.
    1. Alt BS. Following the flag: Marriage and the modern military. Westport, Connecticut: Greenwood Publishing Group; 2006.
    1. Baron RM, Kenny DA. The moderator-mediator variable distinction in social psychological research: Conceptual, strategic and statistical considerations. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology. 1986;51:1173–1182. - PubMed
    1. Beckham J, Lytle BL, Feldman ME. Caregiver burden in partners of Vietnam War veterans with posttraumatic stress disorder. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology. 1996;64(5):1068–1072. - PubMed
    1. Berz JB, Taft CT, Watkins LE, Monson CM. Associations between PTSD symptoms and parenting satisfaction in a female veteran sample. Journal of Psychological Trauma. 2008;7:37–45.

Publication types