Relational turbulence among military couples after reunion following deployment

Abstract

Reintegration following deployment is a pivotal time for returning service members and at-home partners. We test logic derived from the relational turbulence model about depressive symptoms, relational uncertainty, and interference from a partner as predictors of people's appraisals of turmoil during the post-deployment transition. Participants were 118 military couples who completed an online questionnaire once per month for the first 3 months after homecoming. Multilevel models predicting people's appraisals of turmoil revealed (a) actor and partner effects of depressive symptoms, (b) actor effects of relational uncertainty, and (c) actor effects of interference from a partner that were apparent beyond people's appraisals of turmoil during the previous month. These findings advance both theory and practice.As the United States draws down combat operations in Afghanistan at the close of President Barack Obama's term in office, thousands of men and women in the U.S. armed forces are returning home for reunions with loved ones. After the ceremonies and celebrations are over, military personnel and at-home partners face notable challenges adjusting to life at home together. Key tasks during the transition include becoming reacquainted and

Relational Turbulence Theory Applied to the Transition from Deployment to Reintegration

“…The research design involved three waves of observations in which 118 military couples completed an online questionnaire once per month for 3 consecutive months upon reunion after deployment. Returning service members and at-home partners reported an initial upturn in relational uncertainty and interference from a partner at Wave 1, followed by a plateau or downturn in relational uncertainty across Waves 2 and 3 (Knobloch, McAninch, et al, 2016). Individuals who were unsure about the nature of their relationship were less willing to discuss sensitive topics during the postdeployment transition (Knobloch, Ebata, McGlaughlin, & Theiss, 2013).…”

“…Individuals who were unsure about the nature of their relationship were less willing to discuss sensitive topics during the postdeployment transition (Knobloch, Ebata, McGlaughlin, & Theiss, 2013). Moreover, returning service members and at-home partners experiencing relational uncertainty and interference from a partner reported greater difficulty adjusting to the transition (Knobloch, Ebata, McGlaughlin, & Ogolsky, 2013), as well as more relational turbulence (Knobloch, McAninch, et al, 2016). These longitudinal findings, like those of the cross-sectional investigations, imply that military couples recently reunited after deployment are reactive under conditions of relational uncertainty and interference from a partner.…”

“…Qualitative data have shed light on the content of people's experiences of relational uncertainty and interference from a partner during the transition from deployment to reunion Knobloch & Theiss, 2012. Quantitative data have documented relational uncertainty and interference from a partner as predictors of people's appraisals of relational turbulence (Knobloch, McAninch, et al, 2016;, their relationship satisfaction (Knobloch & Theiss, 2011a), and their communication behavior (Knobloch, Ebata, McGlaughlin, & Theiss, 2013;Knobloch & Theiss, 2017; during the postdeployment transition. With respect to outcomes specific to the transition itself, work has revealed relational uncertainty and interference from a partner as predictors of military couples' own difficulty with reintegration (Knobloch, Ebata, McGlaughlin, & Ogolsky, 2013) and their children's difficulty with reintegration .…”

“…Observations gathered over time are critical for evaluating the dynamic processes articulated by relational turbulence theory in a trio of ways. First, the only longitudinal project published to date contained only three waves of data (see Knobloch, Ebata, McGlaughlin, & Ogolsky, 2013;Knobloch, Ebata, McGlaughlin, & Theiss, 2013;Knobloch, McAninch, et al, 2016), so a lingering task is to track the postdeployment transition across the 6 months typically ascribed to reintegration (Pincus et al, 2001). A second benefit of collecting more waves of data over a longer period of time is the capacity to disentangle reciprocal effects in the pathways posed by the theory (e.g., Knobloch & Theiss, 2010).…”

“…Postdeployment begins upon the service member's arrival and lasts for approximately 6 months after homecoming. Military families may be ecstatic during the early portion of this stage but encounter a delayed onset of stress as they strive to reestablish their communication patterns and everyday routines (Knobloch, McAninch, Abendschein, Ebata, & McGlaughlin, 2016;Pincus et al, 2001;Sahlstein et al, 2009).…”