The impact of deployment to Iraq or Afghanistan on partners and wives of military personnel

Abstract

Deployment has well documented psychological consequences for military personnel. To fully understand the human cost of war, the psychosocial impact of separation and homecoming of military personnel on their families must also be considered. Recent arduous conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan make understanding the impact of war on spouses topical and pertinent. Widespread psychological morbidity and social dysfunction have been reported in spouses of military personnel who have been deployed to combat zones such as Vietnam, with difficulties most acute for spouses of military personnel with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). A review of the literature published between 2001 and 2010 assessing the impact of deployments to Iraq and Afghanistan on spouses of military personnel was conducted. A total of 14 US-based studies were identified which examined psychological morbidity, help seeking, marital dysfunction and stress in spouses. Longer deployments, deployment extensions and PTSD in military personnel were found to be associated with psychological problems for the spouse. Methodological differences in the studies limit direct comparisons. Recommendations for future research are outlined. The needs of spouses of military personnel remain an important issue with implications for service provision and occupational capability of both partners.

Physical comorbidities of post‐traumatic stress disorder in Australian Vietnam War veterans

“…Number of deployments (deployed twice, or three or more times compared to once); cumulative time deployed (deployed for 7-12 months, or 13 months or more compared to 6 months or less); and duration of most recent deployment (deployed for 8 months or more compared to 4 months or less) were all associated with reports of negative consequences for deployed members' marriage and children. These findings are consistent with existing literature which suggests that higher number of deployments and longer deployments are associated with adverse effects for military families [4,55,123]. Thus, it may be worthwhile for the Department of Defence to consider strategies and programs to combat negative consequences of deployment on military families.…”

“…Adverse effects on military families, such as marriage breakdown, increased with higher number of deployments and longer deployments [4,55,123].…”

“…Military deployments have also been associated with reduced relationship satisfaction [5,55]. Adverse effects on military families, such as marriage breakdown, increased with higher number of deployments and longer deployments [4,55,123].…”

“…Although less prevalent than concerns about environmental air quality, concerns about chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear (CBRN) exposures have been expressed by some US and UK MEAO veterans [55,66,86]. Moreover, reporting an experience related to chemical/biological warfare has been associated with increased reporting of PTSD symptoms and diagnoses [66].…”

Relationship Difficulties Among U.K. Military Personnel: Impact of Sociodemographic, Military, and Deployment-Related Factors

“…Better spousal coping during separation is related to greater financial resources (Wood, Scarville, & Gravino, 1995). Poor deployment-related adjustment in spouses can lead to reduced mental health and problems coping (De Burgh, White, Fear, & Iversen, 2011). Coping in spouses is an important factor negatively associated with relationship difficulties during and after deployment separations (Wood et al, 1995).…”