Using a sample of 434 couples consisting of active duty Army husbands married to civilian wives, relationships between recent deployment, current PTSD symptoms, and a range of marital outcomes were investigated. Self-reports from both husbands and wives regarding relationship functioning did not differ between couples who were and were not separated due to deployment in the prior year. However, deployment in the past year was related to higher levels of current PTSD symptoms for husbands, and husbands' current PTSD symptoms were associated with lower marital satisfaction, confidence in the relationship, positive bonding between the spouses, parenting alliance, and dedication to the relationship for both husbands and wives. In addition, husbands' current PTSD symptoms were associated with higher levels of negative communication for both husbands and wives, and lower satisfaction with sacrifice for the relationship for husbands. Once positive bonding, negative communication, and parenting alliance were controlled, husband PTSD symptoms no longer significantly predicted marital satisfaction for wives. Husband PTSD symptoms continued to exert a significant, but reduced, unique effect on husband marital satisfaction once these variables were accounted for. The results provide greater understanding of the relationship of deployment/PTSD symptoms and marital functioning and suggest areas for intervention with military couples.
Keywords marriage; relationship; military; deployment; PTSDThe United States' current military commitments have resulted in high demands on military families. Military life, particularly in this current period of long and frequent wartime deployments, involves significant stressors and challenges for active duty personnel and their families. Popular media often portrays the effects of these demands as devastating to military families, a belief echoed by many military couples themselves (Karney & Crown, 2007;Rosen & Durand, 2000). To explain theoretical links between military demands and marital outcomes, Karney and Crown (2007) propose an integrative model in which military experiences such as deployment can directly affect the "adaptive processes" of the couple. Adaptive processes Correspondence concerning this article should be addressed to Elizabeth Allen, Department of Psychology, University of Colorado Denver, Denver, CO 80217. elizabeth.allen@ucdenver.edu. Publisher's Disclaimer: The following manuscript is the final accepted manuscript. It has not been subjected to the final copyediting, fact-checking, and proofreading required for formal publication. It is not the definitive, publisher-authenticated version. The American Psychological Association and its Council of Editors disclaim any responsibility or liabilities for errors or omissions of this manuscript version, any version derived from this manuscript by NIH, or other third parties. The published version is available at www.apa.org/pubs/journals/fam NIH Public Access include "all the ways that spouses interact, communicate, r...