Title
Everything Here is Fine: Protective Buffering by Military Spouses During a Deployment
Document Type
Article
Publication Date
6-28-2019
Organizational Units
College of Arts Humanities and Social Sciences, Psychology
Abstract
To minimize potential distractions for deployed military service members (SMs), some nondeployed romantic partners have reported engaging in protective buffering, or intentionally withholding information or concerns to protect their deployed partner. This study assessed the associations of protective buffering and psychological distress and marital satisfaction for military couples during and after deployment. Additionally, the study explored whether protective buffering was related to SM reports of being distracted during deployment by family matters. A total of 54 couples provided data before, during, and after an Army deployment. In multilevel models, higher protective buffering by partners was associated with higher psychological distress and lower marital satisfaction for both SMs and partners during, but not after, deployment. Additionally, partners reported frequent use of protective buffering during deployment; however, protective buffering was not significantly correlated with family related distraction for SMs during deployment. Limitations and implications of these findings are discussed.
Compass Link
https://du-primo.hosted.exlibrisgroup.com/permalink/f/1jii0mc/TN_cdi_proquest_miscellaneous_2250634438
Publication Statement
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Recommended Citation
Carter, S. P., Renshaw, K. D., Allen, E. S., Markman, H. J., & Stanley, S. M. (2020). Everything Here is Fine: Protective Buffering by Military Spouses During a Deployment. Family Process, 59(3), 1261-1274. DOI: 10.1111/famp.12457.