Continuity in Psychological Health and Role Functioning Across Deployment

Abstract

Introduction: Scholars have described military deployments as one of the most stressful aspects of life for military couples. Deployment affects multiple roles and family members, yet little is known about the degree to which postdeployment outcomes are accounted for by predeployment functioning independent of deployment experiences. Methods: Data collection included in-person interviews with National Guard couples experiencing a deployment and a comparison group whose deployment was canceled abruptly. Using hierarchical regression, this study assessed (a) how much variance in postdeployment functioning was explained by predeployment functioning and (b) whether variance accounted for by predeployment functioning differed by domain, respondent, or deployment status. Posthoc analyses revealed which combinations of predeployment functioning accounted for the most variance in postdeployment outcomes. Results: We found evidence of modest continuity between predeployment and postdeployment functioning, particularly for psychological functioning and partner role functioning, and fewer differences than expected in patterns between groups. Certain demographic characteristics, risk factors, and resources accounted for significant variance in postdeployment outcomes in addition to baseline levels of role functioning. Conclusions: Study findings reinforce the importance of predeployment preparation, providing families with resources to maximize resilience in response to the stress of deployment.