| The purpose of this study was to quantitatively examine the impact of intermittent deployments on the level of psychological distress experienced by dependent military spouse. One of the greatest stressors on military families is deployment. Due to increases in the tempo of operations and a "commuter war strategy," many military families are facing a new type of separation with multiple intermittent and unpredictable deployments. Based on family systems theory and the theory of uncertainty, a 3-month, repeated-measures study design was utilized to compare 57 military aircrew spouses' psychological distress during differing types of deployments. An analysis of symptomology and covariance was performed utilizing a MANCOVA. The statistical analyses revealed that spouses experiencing intermittent deployments reported significantly more psychological distress as measured by scores on the BSI Global Severity Index and more specifically, higher anxiety, than those experiencing traditional deployments. This study can serve as an important catalyst for social change. With increased knowledge as to the impact of intermittent deployments, programs that bring about and support positive mental health for military spouses may be developed. This program development is vital due to the correlation of the stay-behind military spouse's positive mental health to the successful adjustment of every family member. This study has social change implication for the military family unit, the unit the military member belongs to, the mission they are supporting, and thus national security at large. |
