Brief Summary:
This study examined whether military spouses’ problem-solving resources mitigated the negative effects of stressful experiences on their own and their Service member’s posttraumatic stress symptoms (PTSS). 3,314 military couples from the Millennium Cohort Family Study reported their exposure to childhood maltreatment, past-year nonmilitary stressors (e.g., financial problems), and past-year military stressors (e.g., relocation, deployment) as predictors of PTSS severity. Spouses also reported how confident they were in their ability to handle unexpected problems (i.e., positive problem-solving appraisal) and their social support in managing problems (i.e., problem-solving support). Overall, spouses’ problem-solving resources buffered the negative effects of stressful experiences for themselves and Service members.
Summary provided by Military REACH at Auburn University
Translating Research Into Practice (TRIP) Report:
Created by our partners at Military REACH at Auburn University, TRIP Reports summarize the key findings and implications of this study to provide actionable insights in accessible language for practitioners, policy makers, and families.
Reference:
Sullivan, K. S., Park, Y., Richardson, S., Stander, V., & Jaccard, J. (2024). The role of problem solving appraisal and support in the relationship between stress exposure and posttraumatic stress symptoms of military spouses and service member partners. Stress and health : journal of the International Society for the Investigation of Stress, 40(4), e3371. https://doi.org/10.1002/smi.3371