Adopting M. Segal's framework, we focused on examining four military lifestyle demands-(1) risk of service member injury or death, (2) frequent relocations, (3) periodic separations, and (4) foreign residence-and their relationships to psychological and physical well-being, satisfaction with the Army, and marital satisfaction. Questionnaire results from 346 spouses living overseas indicated that the impact of separations was negatively related to all four outcomes, while foreign residence was negatively related to physical and psychological well-being, fear for soldier safety was negatively related to physical well-being, and the impact of moving was negatively related to satisfaction with the Army. The results further indicated that perceptions of moving and separations were more important in determining outcomes than were the actual number of moves or separations.

Lifetime trauma history was assessed in a health study of active duty United States Army soldiers. Five hundred fifty-five male and 573 female soldiers in the sample were asked whether they had ever experienced 14 different potentially traumatic experiences, including sexual assaults, violent stressors to self, and terrifying events that occurred to others and were secondarily traumatic through exposure by gaining information or as a witness to the event. Most soldiers had experienced multiple traumas, and premilitary exposure to events was much more common than exposure to events after entering the military. Global measures of current psychological distress and physical health symptoms were predicted by the lifetime number of sexual assaults and traumas to self. Social support from military unit leaders moderated the relationship between accumulated exposure to traumas and both health measures, whereas unit cohesion was directly associated with fewer mental health problems.

This study examined psychosocial issues within Army families and the contribution of support networks to spouses' well-being and to their desire that their soldiers remain in the Army. Data from a self-administered questionnaire were analyzed for 137 spouses from the active duty component, 410 from the National Guard, and 174 from the reserve. Differences among the three groups were found with regard to both the composition of their social support networks as well as their use of such networks. Use of support was associated with well-being, but not with retention.

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Objective: This study was designed to assess the prevalence and timing of sexual assault experiences in a sample of U.S. Army soldiers. Methods: Self-administered surveys were completed by 555 male and 573 female soldiers in combat service and combat service support units. Results: One-fifth of the women reported a completed rape (22.6%), and 50.9% of women and 6.7% of men reported any sexual assault. The majority of sexual assaults occurred before the soldiers entered the military, and 25% of women and 1%of men reported an attempted or completed rape during chil?hood. Sex~al.as sault history also varied by sociodemographic charactenstics. Conclusion: Results suggest that a history of childhood sexual abuse may be more widespread among female soldiers than among civilian women, and that ascribed and achieved status characteristics may differentially expose soldiers to sexual assaults both before and after they enter the military. Health care assessments should include details of a soldier's sexual assault history.