Depressive Symptoms among US Military Spouses during Deployment

Abstract

Using the Broaden-and-Build Theory of Positive Emotions, the relationships among stress, positivity, and depressive symptoms were examined in a sample of military spouses during deployment ( N = 367). Over one-third of the spouses reported moderately severe levels of depressive symptoms. After controlling for demographic and deployment variables, stress had a positive association with depressive symptoms (β = .59, p < .001), while positivity had a negative association (β = −.39, p < .001). Positivity was also found to play a moderating role on the relationship between stress and depressive symptoms (β = −.29, p < .001). Spouses with lower positivity reported more depressive symptoms at both low and high levels of stress compared to those with higher positivity. The final model, including both direct and moderating variables, accounted for 69 percent of the total variance in depressive symptoms. Practical implications are discussed in terms of the importance of developing positivity in military spouses.

Today's Soldier: Assessing the Needs of Soldiers and Their Families

“…Another survey of 346 Army spouses living with soldiers assigned to installations in Europe found that a spouse's experience of deployment separations (whether it was stressful, put a strain on the family, hurt the stability of the marriage, caused worry about the effect on the children) was predictive of his or her physical and psychological well-being, marital satisfaction, and satisfaction with Army life (Burrell et al, 2006). Yet another small survey of Army spouses, this time 367 spouses in the United States whose soldiers were deployed, found higher levels of positivity and lower levels of stress and depressive symptoms among commis-sioned officers' wives and those with more deployment experience (Faulk et al, 2012). A survey of 34,381 Air Force active duty personnel found that "unit relationship quality, leadership effectiveness, and tangible social support from community memberswere positively and significantly related to members' reports of spousal ability to adjust to Air Force family demands" (Spera, 2009).…”

Relationships Among Positive Emotions, Coping, Resilience and Mental Health

“…Although previous works in this field have studied a variety of highly stressed populations, including college students (Fredrickson, Tugade, Waugh, & Larkin, ), public school teachers (Steinhardt et al, ), doctors (Newbury‐Birch & Kamali, ) and military spouses (Faulk, Gloria, Steinhardt, & Cance, ), there is a lack of research toward a particularly high‐stressed population—namely postdoctoral research fellows (postdocs). Postdocs, ironically, are an overlooked and understudied population.…”

A comprehensive study on the relationship between meaning and spirituality at work with job happiness, positive affect and job satisfaction

“…This approach is presented in this study based on the study background, has this default that general positive affectivity like happiness and job-related positive affect play mediating role in the relationship between meaning and spirituality at work and job satisfaction that in addition to the cognitive charge it has job focused affective charge (a particular kind of job-specific positive affect) (Duggleby et al, 2009;Wicker, 2011;Warr & Inceoglu, 2012;Faulk et al, 2012). This part of the prediction of spirituality based affective spillover approach is supported based on two models that have been examined in this relationship in this research.…”

“…The results of the previous studies show that there was a positive relationship between positive affect and job satisfaction (Judge & Ilies, 2004;Fredrickson, 2009;Faulk et al, 2012), and between happiness and job satisfaction (Albano, 2009;Wang & Yi, 2011;De Kok, 2013;Warr, 2013). On the other side, meaning and spirituality from affective dimension by providing joy, happiness and positive affect can enhance an individual's sense of job satisfaction (Ho, 2011;Steger et al, 2012).…”

“…Among the most important variables, which have the capacity of reinforcing of job satisfaction, we could point to organizational factors (including salary requirements, ability for development and promotion and organizational policies), environmental factors (such as conditions of supervision and management, conditions of work, human relations), nature of work and personal factors (such as personality traits, attitudes, perceptions, age, tenure) (Rode, 2004;Harrison et al, 2006;Golden & Veiga, 2008;Kaplan et al, 2009;Bowling et al, 2010;Volmer et al, 2011;Faulk et al, 2012;De Kok, 2013).…”