The Combined Effect of Education and Combat Exposure on Relationship Satisfaction Among National Guard Service Members and Their Intimate Partners: A Path Analysis
The relationship between chronic stress occurring during deployment and mental health problems such as PTSD, depression and alcohol use among members of the military is well established in the literature. National Guard and Reserve who are required to deploy overseas at least one time during their military career since the Global War on Terror, are more likely to experience combat if they have lower levels of education. However, thus far, it is unclear how combat exposure and education, on the part of National Guard and Reserve members; affect their relationships with intimate partners at post-deployment. This study examines the relationship between education, combat exposure and relationship satisfaction among both National Guard Service Members and their intimate partners. We hypothesize that (1) combat exposure and income will be predicted by education, (2) social support will be predicted by income (3) mental health will be predicted by combat exposure, which will, in turn, predict social support and relationship satisfaction.
Methods
Participants were Army and Air National Guard Service Members (“guard members”) and their spouses or cohabitating partners (“partners”) following deployment in support of OIF/OEF/OND conflicts. One hundred ninety guard member/supporter couples (N=382) who attended the Yellow Ribbon Reintegration Program (YRRP) were surveyed approximately 2-4 months post-deployment. Couples were mostly White (95%), married (90%), in their 30s (Mean≅36.2, SD≅ 9.3) and had 1 or more children (under age 18) (69%) who lived with them. Bivariate statistics and path analysis models analyzing guard members and partners separately were used to assess relationship satisfaction.
Preliminary Results
For guard members, lower levels of education predicted higher combat exposure, which increased Post Traumatic Stress Symptoms (PTSS) and depression and lowered income, which decreased social support. Social support mediated the relationship between mental health, income and relationship satisfaction among guard members. For partners, education predicted higher levels of income, which also increased social support, but relationship satisfaction was not mediated by social support. Guard members’ combat exposure, however, predicted higher rates of depression among partners which lowered their relationship satisfaction.
Conclusions
This study highlights the unique role of guard member education and combat exposure as risk factors associated with family stability. Social work practitioners should consider the important relationship between education, income and emotional support among guard members and other members of the military because of their accumulated capacity to affect family stability. They should also consider the effect of combat exposure on the mental health of intimate partners.