Reference:
Wilson, S. R., Marini, C. M., Franks, M. M., Whiteman, S. D., Topp, D., & Wadsworth, S. M. (2017). Communication and connection during deployment: A daily-diary study from the perspective of at-home partners. Journal of Family Psychology. Advanced online publishing, 32(1), 42-48. doi: 10.1037/fam0000333
Summary:
In this study, 87 partners of deployed National Guard service members completed daily diaries, recording their entries for seven consecutive days on the same channels (e.g., phone) each time they communicated with their service member. They recorded their communication activities (e.g., support provision) and how connected they felt with their service member. For couples communicating via phone and/or video, multilevel modeling was used to explore two types of associations between couples’ communication activities and partners’ feelings of connection. Findings indicated that across the week partners who reported their service member provided them with higher levels of support and made decisions together more often as a couple felt more connected to their service member (between-person associations). On days when partners reported providing more than average support during phone calls, and the service member provided more than average support during video calls, they reported greater feelings of connection (within-person associations). Future research should explore how daily fluctuations in deployment communication may reinforce or challenge existing relationship processes, impacting how couples maintain their relationships after and during deployment.