https://aub.ie/MilitaryREACH-Knobloch19TRIP

Knobloch, L. K., Knobloch-Fedders, L. M., & Yorgason, J. B. (2019). Mental health symptoms and the reintegration difficulty of military couples following deployment: A longitudinal application of the relational turbulence model. Journal of Clinical Psychology, 75(4), 742-765. https://doi.org/10.1002/jclp.22734

This study examined the association between individual mental health symptoms and reintegration difficulty for military couples (N = 555) over eight consecutive months. Couples include both an at-home partner and a service member returning from a deployment. Relationship processes (i.e., reunion uncertainty and interference from a partner) were examined as a contributing factor linking mental health and reintegration difficulty. Relationship processes examined include reunion uncertainty (i.e., uncertainty about negotiating the transition from deployment to reintegration) and interference from a partner (i.e., interference in daily routines/tasks). Although the results suggest that the association between these factors were complex, results indicated that mental health symptoms were associated with reintegration difficulties through relationship processes.

https://doi.org/10.1002/jclp.22734

Couples
Mental health
Other

Army
Navy
Air Force
Coast Guard
Marine Corps
Multiple branches

Active duty service member
Spouse of service member or veteran

Adulthood (18 yrs & older)
Young adulthood (18 - 29 yrs)
Thirties (30 - 39 yrs)
Middle age (40 - 64 yrs)

Longitudinal Study
Quantitative Study
Secondary Analysis

Knobloch, Leanne K., Knobloch‐Fedders, Lynne M., Yorgason, Jeremy B.

Objective: Understanding the factors that predict the reintegration difficulty of military couples during the postdeployment transition has important implications for theory, research, and practice. Building on the logic of the relational turbulence model, this paper evaluates the relationship processes of reunion uncertainty and reintegration interference from a partner as mediators of the connection between people's mental health symptoms and their difficulty with reintegration after deployment. Method: Dyadic longitudinal data were collected from 555 US military couples once per month for 8 consecutive months. Results: Findings mapped the trajectory of reintegration difficulty and suggested reunion uncertainty and reintegration interference from a partner as mediators of the link between people's depressive and posttraumatic stress symptoms and the magnitude of their reintegration difficulty. Conclusion: These results highlight relationship processes as a key domain of intervention to preserve the well-being of military couples during the postdeployment transition.

John Wiley & Sons

Article
REACH Publication

Department of Communication, University of Illinois, LKK
Department of Counselor Education and Counseling Psychology, Marquette University, LMKF
School of Family Life, Brigham Young University, JBY