Role of military context and couple well-being in the psychological vulnerability of military wives in the United States

The psychological health of military spouses is essential for the health and readiness of the family system. Thus, it is essential to understand contextual and familial factors that play a role in the psychological vulnerability of military spouses. This study examined how aspects of military life (number of deployments, perceived social support from the military community, and assessments of military life satisfaction) and family life (namely, couple well-being) played a role in the psychological vulnerability (depressive symptoms and personal well-being) of 222 U.S. military wives. Results suggested that when military wives felt more social support from the military community, they typically reported greater well-being. Wives who were more satisfied with military life tended to indicate better couple well-being. In turn, greater couple well-being was linked to less psychological vulnerability, specifically, fewer depressive symptoms and higher well-being. Overall, the military context had some bearing on the psychological vulnerability of military wives, especially when they did not feel supported by the military community. Importantly, however, the couple relationship appeared to be the most salient factor associated with the psychological vulnerability of military wives. Promoting healthier couple relationships appears to be a potential leverage point for intervention. Introduction: Rooted in a socio-ecological and stress process framework, assumptions are that both distal contextual factors (military context) and more proximal interpersonal factors (couple well-being) have bearing on a person's psychological vulnerability. Methods: Using cross-sectional data from 222 U.S. military wives, this study explored how military context (specifically, number of deployments, perceived social support from the military community, and assessments of military life satisfaction) was associated with psychological vulnerability (depressive symptoms and personal well-being). Furthermore, the authors examined the mediating role of couple well-being, a latent variable composed of marital quality, relationship communication satisfaction, and relationship warmth. Results: A series of structural equation models indicated that social support from the military community was directly associated with higher levels of personal well-being among military wives. Additionally, wives who were more satisfied with military life tended to indicate higher levels of couple well-being; in turn, higher levels of couple well-being were associated with less psychological vulnerability for spouses through both lower levels of depressive symptoms and higher levels of personal well-being. Discussion: Results suggest that military contextual factors have some bearing on the psychological vulnerability of military wives, especially when spouses do not feel supported by the military community. Nonetheless, couple relationship appeared to be the most salient resource for combating wives' psychological vulnerability and, thus, a potential leverage point for intervention. Introduction : Ancr & eacute;es dans la socio & eacute;cologie et le mod & egrave;le de la dynamique du stress, les hypoth & egrave;ses posent que les facteurs contextuels distaux (le contexte militaire) et certains facteurs interpersonnels proximaux (le bien-& ecirc;tre du couple) ont une incidence sur la vuln & eacute;rabilit & eacute; psychologique des personnes. M & eacute;thodologie : & Agrave; l'aide des donn & eacute;es transversales de 222 & eacute;pouses de militaires am & eacute;ricains, cette & eacute;tude a explor & eacute; le lien entre le contexte militaire (le nombre de d & eacute;ploiements, la perception du soutien social de la communaut & eacute; militaire et l'& eacute;valuation de la satisfaction envers la vie militaire, notamment) et la vuln & eacute;rabilit & eacute; psychologique (sympt & ocirc;mes d & eacute;pressifs et bien-& ecirc;tre personnel). En outre, les auteurs ont examin & eacute; le r & ocirc;le m & eacute;diateur du bien-& ecirc;tre du couple, une variable latente compos & eacute;e de la qualit & eacute; conjugale, de la satisfaction de la communication dans la relation et de la chaleur de la relation. R & eacute;sultats : Une s & eacute;rie de mod & egrave;les d'& eacute;quations structurelles a indiqu & eacute; que le soutien social de la communaut & eacute; militaire & eacute;tait directement li & eacute; & agrave; des degr & eacute;s & eacute;lev & eacute;s de bien-& ecirc;tre personnel chez les & eacute;pouses de militaires. De plus, les & eacute;pouses dont le degr & eacute; de satisfaction envers la vie militaire est & eacute;taient plus & eacute;lev & eacute; avaient tendance & agrave; indiquer des degr & eacute;s & eacute;lev & eacute;s de bien-& ecirc;tre du couple ; en retour, les niveaux & eacute;lev & eacute;s de bien-& ecirc;tre du couple & eacute;taient associ & eacute;s & agrave; une vuln & eacute;rabilit & eacute; psychologique moindre des conjoint(e)s, ce qui transparait & agrave; la fois dans des degr & eacute;s plus faibles de sympt & ocirc;mes d & eacute;pressifs et des degr & eacute;s plus & eacute;lev & eacute;s de bien-& ecirc;tre personnel. Discussion : Les r & eacute;sultats sugg & egrave;rent que les facteurs contextuels militaires ont une certaine incidence sur la vuln & eacute;rabilit & eacute; psychologique des & eacute;pouses de militaires, en particulier lorsque les conjoint(e)s ne se sentent pas soutenu(e)s par la communaut & eacute; militaire. Toutefois, la relation de couple semble & ecirc;tre la ressource la plus importante pour lutter contre la vuln & eacute;rabilit & eacute; psychologique des & eacute;pouses, ce qui en fait un point d'appui potentiel pour l'intervention.