Running head: MILITARY SPOUSES AND THE CHALLENGES OF MILITARY
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Military Spouses and the Challenges of Military Life DANITZA JAMES Saint Leo University
MILITARY SPOUSES AND THE CHALLENGES OF MILITARY Abstract Army life is unique to say the least. The subculture, with its own language, rules, acronyms and ways, is foreign to the general population. The Global war on Terrorism has brought more awareness and certainly more curiosity about Army life. (Krajeski, 2006, 2008, p. 5).Today, more than ever, the military spouse is a pioneer who travels to strange lands, rears her
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family under nomadic conditions, and many times copes with the stress of surviving on his or her own. (Alt & Stone, 1991, p. 11) A military spouse must struggle
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Some couples express that too much time together can also become stressful. (Krajeski, 2006, 2008, p. 55). Some couples describe separation in moderation like “a pause in a musical composition” it enhances the whole (Krajeski, 2006, 2008, p. 55). There are many things that come into keeping a marriage together such as; love, respect, loyalty, communication, and understanding, but that all is part of being married to the military.
MILITARY SPOUSES AND THE CHALLENGES OF MILITARY Military spouses role vary in ranks, from enlisted to officers they are all seen and approached in different ways because of the military rank his or her soldiers rank may be. “The role of the officer’s spouse encompasses a set of activities that are mostly traditional” (Harrell, 2001, p. 59). Officer’s spouses often are considered to be as elite as their soldier, depending on their rank, “in fact an officer’s wife becomes an extension of the officer” (Harrell, 2001, p. 61).
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The differences between officers and enlisted spouses also goes back to the 1700s where officers were although elected by their own man many of the officer ranks were filled by wealthy landowners and the enlisted ranks were filled by the “serving class”(Alt & Stone, 1991, p. 2).
A report from the American Academy of Pediatrics found that children from military families have a higher risk of social, emotional and behavioral problems such as anxiety, depression and suicide ideation. Other reports have shown that military families also have a high rates of domestic violence, child abuse and spousal abuse. The immense strains and pressures of the military lifestyle create inconsistencies in the lives of military families that are often overlooked by those considering joining the military. Over the years the U.S government and other organizations have been doing ample research into family health in the military and effectively identifying and addressing critical issues that are faced by military families. Speaking from
In Stress-induced somatization is spouses of deployed and nondeployed serviceman, authors Burton et al.’s (2009) found “spouses of deployed serviceman had significantly higher perceived stress scores than spouses of nondeployed service members”. The authors used a survey research type of study with participatory information was demonstrated in the response information. They describe their main claim is to compare the perceived stress experienced by spouses of deployed versus non deployed servicemen. A sub claim is “compare the level of somatization experienced” in both groups. An additional sub claim is to “determine the relationship between perceived stress and level of somatization experienced by spouses” (p.333)
This article supports my topic because it provides way to cope with family separation and stress which are psychological effects of deployment.
The second article, “Military Community Integration and Its Effect on Well-Being and Retention”, Burrell, Durand & Fortado (2003) ask; does integration In the military community affect the spouses
To summarize (Kaplow, Layne, Saltztman, Cozza & Pynoos, 2013, p. 322-340) this article looks at how grief through exposure to loss due to combat fights, loss of fellow unit members, or the loss of a service member can affect a service member or military family during deployment and reintegration phases. The article goes on to discuss some of the stresses that can increase due to deployments such as martial conflicts, abuse or neglect, and mental health problems stemming from both spouses or children. More military children function equally as well as their civilian counterparts, except during times of deployment where they experience more emotional and behavioral problems. The article looks at three key areas Separation distress characterized as missing the deceased. Existential/Identity Distress finding meaning or fulfillment, or taking on roles left by the deceased. Circumstance-Related Distress characterized as emotional pain brought on by how the deceased passed. The article furthermore looks into how the age of the military children plays into their separation distress. Followed by their existential/identity Distress may be disrupted by new
As reported by Claire J. White, the author of International Review of Psychiatry journal, spousal deployment might be stressful and could lead into some psychological issues such as depression and anxiety. The anxiety is more than worrying about their husband condition in the middle of a combat, it’s also involving their uneasiness of being far from each other. As most of the deployment were not all due to a short period, it includes how the military spouse would likely to survive and continue the life without their husband at the side. These situations had all been depicted by Saslow in the Ten Letters, where Krissy and Doug were forced to split apart due to the deployment after 10 days they got married. This has put Krissy in a condition
These challenges could be the result of another finding in which the spouses of veterans diagnosed with PTSD reported seeing their significant other as a different person post-deployment compared to pre-deployment (Yambo, Johnson, Delaney, Hamilton, Miller, & York, 2016). An unshared experience, such as combat, can also lead to relationship disconnect. Those who struggle with PTSD have a significantly higher perceived burdensomeness and thwarted belongingness than military personnel who have never been diagnosed with PTSD (Bryan, 2011). These emotions are consistent with Pease, Billera, and Gerard’s 2015 study, which found that many military personnel feel isolated, disconnected, misunderstood, and out of place upon returning to a family lifestyle and that marriage increases the difficulty in civilian life reintegration. In our opinion, a diagnosis of PTSD amplifies the challenges of relationship
This research paper provides a theoretical perspective on the effects that military deployment has on marital relationships. The background section investigates the five different military branches, what stressors are involved for those in military relationships, and a brief history of what military relationships were like in the past. In the literature review, readers will explore research studies that have been conducted in the past five years that pertain to military couples. There are three themes that will be pointed out throughout the literature review; the psychological effects deployment has on
Currently, families are experiencing the affects of the deployment cycle and it is putting many people under a lot of emotional stress. More than 1.2 billion families have an active-duty parent or spouse (The Long War). Although it affects every family differently, the phases are all the same. Preparing for a family member to leave can be one of the hardest phases of the deployment cycle, this is called “pre-deployment.” During this time, spouses
Military families come in contact with many challenges that has the potential to cause couples to separate. These challenges including but not limited to: Frequent moves, numerous separations due to discharges, long work hours, and infidelity etc. With this being the situation, it is necessary for a couple entering a military lifestyle to be well equipped with the tools needed in order to engage in a solid and healthy relationship. Therefore a military couple is a prime example of how premarital counseling has the ability to help increase the longevity of marriage among couples who marry before reaching the age of 30.
One way to accomplish this is through answering research questions related to military family life, such as “How do multiple deployments, multiple moves and other military lifestyle factors affect the development of attachment in military children?” and “What is the long-term impact on military children who have experienced multiple deployments, relocations and other life-disrupting events associated with military life?” As America continues to send service members to the Middle East in the midst of the longest military conflict in its history, gaining an understanding of the long-term impact on this generation of military children is crucial to aid in the development of programs and resources with the hope of ameliorating the challenges they have encountered. Additionally, the answers to these research questions may assist in identifying protective and risk factors and increase positive outcomes for these children as they grow into
Just as Soldiers don’t face their day to day lives alone, the next thing to consider is that they don’t face deployments alone. Leaving family at home causes stresses on the family unit, but can also be a powerful team building tool between spouses, and with children. During deployments, the obligations that were previously shared between Soldiers and spouses now become the sole responsibility of the spouse. This increase in daily duties can take its toll on the spouse, but luckily, support groups are available, through the military, to help ease the transition. A unit’s Family Readiness Group (FRG) can help to ease some of the stress during deployments by offering support and increased communication from the command to spouses (Hollingsworth, 2011). One other role that the remaining spouse faces is raising children. Children often face psychological challenges of their own while dealing with the absence of a deployed family member. Studies suggest that an increase in parental roles from the spouse can help ease children into the transitional periods of pre and post deployment (Hollingsworth, 2011). Families are part of a community, and thus, part of a larger scale civilization
But what many people don't realize is that there are many negatives to marrying someone in the military too. For example, in a month he leaves for Japan for two years. That is nearly seven thousand miles away. Although i'll be able to visit periodically and he can occasionally take leave, we know that being separated halfway across the globe will be difficult and we will not see each other face to face for months. We also have basically no control over where he goes and for how long, so this can cause a major toll on our marriage. Many people also ask if i'm planning on stopping my education to be with him. And although I have strongly considered it, we have both decided that me finishing my degree is important and he encourages me everyday to keep
Ever since adolescence, I’ve always said “ I would never date or marry someone in the military.” Having stayed consistent, I was convinced that nothing could change my stance, but lone and behold I was wrong. Upon watching military movies or seeing military couples online I avoided the impact of becoming separated from my lover for months at a time, but it wasn’t enough to stop me from falling in love with the man of my dreams. Although us military wives are heavily criticized, i think it is important for people to know the sacrifices us women make so that our husbands can continue to keep our country safe.
Divorced spouses’ subsystem can impact the entire family in a positive or negative manner. For the positive effects, we can see that these couples that tend to support each other are able to really act as civilized adults and move on. This is generally because of the “commitment to the child(ren), by years of common history and/or friends, or genuine concern for each other (Hall, 2016, p.123)”. When the positive effects occur, one can see healthy relationships built with each other, the child(ren), and the new partner as well. This allows for the child(ren) to get the proper discipline and guidance that is very much needed in children today. On the flip side of this the negative effects can be caused by “revenge, distrust, or anger (Hall, 2016, p.123)”. This can cause tension among the ex-couple, family, friends, child(ren), or even the new relationship. This makes it very difficult for the child(ren) involved to adjust to their new-found lifestyle. Another challenge here is when the military member lives some distance from the child(ren) home; if the member lives