Coping behaviors used by Army wives during deployment separation and their perceived effectiveness

Area of Science:

• Psychology
• Military Sociology
• Family Studies

Background:

• Military deployment separation presents unique stressors for spouses.
• Understanding coping mechanisms is crucial for supporting military families.

Purpose of the Study:

• To describe coping behaviors of Army wives during deployment.
• To assess the perceived effectiveness of these coping behaviors.
• To determine the correlation between coping use and effectiveness.

Main Methods:

• Secondary analysis of survey data from 102 Army wives.
• Utilized the Jalowiec Coping Scale (JCS) to measure coping.
• Examined coping use and perceived effectiveness during deployment separation.

Main Results:

• The most utilized coping strategies were optimistic and supportant.
• The most effective coping strategies were supportant and confrontive.
• Strong correlations found between use and effectiveness for supportant (r=0.77) and confrontive (r=0.62) subscales.

Conclusions:

• Supportant and confrontive coping behaviors are key for Army wives during deployment.
• Encouraging optimistic thinking, spiritual support, social connection, and physical activity can enhance well-being.
• Identifying effective coping strategies can reduce stress for military spouses.