Military Spouses

Table of Contents

Description3

Affects of family members/svc members3

Functioning of military families on international postings3

Loss4

General wellbeing5

Support6

Potential emotional and psychological impact of relocation overseas on military spouses7

Service (Services addressed, Interventions)9

Theoretical Base11

Critique12

References16

Military Spouses

Description

Military spouses are recognized for their enduring ability to cope with extended periods of separation whilst their partners are deployed away from their domestic residences (Fernandez-Pol, 1988a; Burrell et al., 2006). However, there may be less understanding of the impact of collective relocation of military families to overseas postings. Burrell et al. (2006) reported that the health and well-being of individuals is affected by many social situations, it is therefore reasonable to suggest that relocation to unfamiliar surroundings could have an impact on an individual's health and lifestyle. Military spouses may be placed under stress while husbands/ wives are serving in the armed forces (McNulty, 2003), however overseas postings, in particular, present them with unique challenges (Fisher & Shaw, 1994).

Military spouses with less than adequate financial support are more likely to make credit mistakes, pay higher fees, and cover only minimum monthly balances. It can be all too easy for a military family to slip into uncontrolled debt, especially if it sneaks up on you like most debt does. However, the military has various different financial management programs that can help military families with financial education, personal counseling, and other assistance to avoid future debt problems.

Affects of family members/svc members

Functioning of military families on international postings

Military spouses posted outside the USA experience a reduced quality of life, primarily due to limited opportunities to have quality family time (Lakhani, 1994; McNulty, 2003). However, during peacetime American born military wives are similar to their civilian counterparts in the reporting of distress symptoms (Fernandez-Pol, 1988a). Furthermore, spousal satisfaction with military life was found to be linked to their location and employment status, which impacts on marital adjustment (Bowen, 1987; Lakhani, 1994).

Manning and DeRouin (1981) reported that housewives who are involved in voluntary activities are more likely to be satisfied with life, the USA Army and their time in Germany than those who have been seeking employment for a long time. In addition, they found that spouses' employment status and satisfaction with military life influenced service members' contentment. The husbands of better-adjusted working wives are themselves more satisfied than are those with unemployed spouses. The results of Lakhani et al.'s (1985) factor analysis revealed that families' satisfaction with life and employment are crucial in determining whether officers and enlisted servicemen extend their tours in Europe. Overall, family and army life satisfaction depended on spouses' perceptions of military members' happiness and social opportunities.

Loss

Prior loss of a job, or inability to achieve meaningful employment instills feelings of worthlessness and leaves individuals feeling insecure about their identity, whereas having employment has been reported to provide credibility and individuality (Manning & DeRouin, 1981; Jervis, 2009). Further undermining of such established identities, in particular the title of “wife of”, is seen as an additional loss of individualism (Jervis, 2009), personal identities being replaced with those of the serving members, which ...