| Over 50% of deployed U.S. Army soldiers are married; however, divorce rates for military couples have been increasing 0.02% each year. Marital satisfaction of the civilian wives (CW) of deployed soldiers may contribute not only to divorce but also to soldiers' re-enlistment and retention. Using attachment theory as a framework, predictors of marital satisfaction of the CW of active-duty U.S. Army soldiers were examined. The number of deployments experienced, number of household children, wives' educational level, perceived social support (measured using the Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support scale), and wives' adult attachment style (measured using the Adult Attachment Scale) were the independent variables in this study. The dependent variable, marital satisfaction, was examined using the Comprehensive Marital Satisfaction Survey. Data were obtained from a convenience sample of 97 civilian wives of U.S. Army active duty personnel using an online survey. Multiple regression analysis was used to evaluate the predictive power of the 5 independent variables on marital satisfaction. Results showed that the Close subscale of the Adult Attachment Survey, which measures secure attachment, was positively associated with marital satisfaction when controlling for other variables in the model. This study helps to fill the gap in the literature regarding marital satisfaction among military couples, especially wives. The findings indicated that improving the closeness factor defined in the attachment style model may lead to improved marital satisfaction. Military base community services focusing on psychoeducational support efforts for enhancing closeness may also be warranted. |
