Individual and Cohort Correlates of Relationship Discord Among Veterans

Background and Purpose: Relationship discord, poor relationship adjustment in spousal, familial and more distant relationships (Whisman, 2013), is a frequent experience for Veterans exposed to combat.  This discord often leaves the social network around a Veteran experiencing an inequitable amount of the consequence of the Veteran’s service.  Prior research has examined correlates of family relationship disruption (Currier, Holland, & Allen, 2012; Berz, Taft, Watkins, & Monson, 2008) and parenting functioning and satisfaction (Cohen, 2011), but correlates of relationship discord have not been investigated.  The purpose of this study was to examine associations between individual and combat cohort characteristics with relationship discord.

 Methods: A cross sectional design was used for study.  All research was conducted at a single VA medical center (VAMC) in a Northeastern state and all participants were male Veterans.  Data was collected by two methods.  First, an existing dataset (n=200), used in a prior VAMC IRB approved study related to PTSD, was used as the baseline dataset. This baseline dataset included data on PTSD severity, attachment style, age, combat era, and race/ethnicity.  Second, the medical records of the Veterans in the baseline dataset were used to collect a novel measure of relationship discord (final n=184) using a retrospective chart review methodology.  About half of the participants identified their Service Era as OIF/OEF (56%), almost all were White (90.2%), and just over a third (34.2%) were 60 years or older.  Ordinary least squares regression was used to test significance of association between correlates and relationship discord

Results: Overall, Veterans exhibited low to moderate levels of relationship discord.  A regression model including PTSD symptom severity, combat cohort, age, and attachment style was significant in predicting relationship discord (p<.01).  Compared to Vietnam era Veterans, Veterans who identified they were part of the OIF/OEF and Gulf war cohorts experienced greater levels of relationship discord (p<.05).  Veterans reporting a fearful attachment style had significantly elevated levels of relationship discord compared to those with a dismissive style.  PTSD severity, age, and secure and preoccupied attachment styles were not related to relationship discord. 

Conclusions and Implications:  These results suggest that when controlling for PTSD severity and age, combat cohort and attachment styles are associated with levels of relationship discord.  This study implies, from the perspective of adjustment in relationships, that the nature of the combat experience has differential effects on it, and it should be taken into account in developing mental and behavioral health services.  VAMC practitioners would benefit from assessing attachment style as it is connected to relationship discord.  Veterans with a fearful attachment style would benefit from treatments to move them towards attachment security.  Finally, further research would benefit from the development of a measure of relationship discord that could be used concurrently with the treatment process.  Such a measure would allow for the examination of changes in relationship discord over time.