The modern warfare has changed the nature of wars where most battles take place in cities and urban areas. This means that soldiers are no longer deployed for months or years but rather for weeks or days.
This does not mean that their experiences on the battlefield have become less traumatic. On the contrary, studies show that more than half of all male veterans suffer from Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) compared to just one out of ten civilians. In addition, military couples experience high rates of divorce, which can be attributed to the difficulties associated with adjusting back into civilian life. Military spouses also face challenges when it comes to maintaining relationships because they often move around due to frequent deployments and relocations.
Both partners must learn how to cope with the emotional aftermath of combat exposure without losing sight of their relationship goals. As such, there is an urgent need for researchers to understand how combat experiences affect military marriages beyond the obvious psychological implications.
This study aims to investigate how varying degrees of combat experience influence sexual dynamics, relational satisfaction, and intimacy among military couples. It will look at how veteran men's level of PTSD symptoms impact their sexual satisfaction and their ability to relate to their wives. The study will also examine whether female veterans who did not serve in a combat role feel sexually frustrated by their partners who served actively in the frontline.
It will explore how spousal deployment affects couples' sexual satisfaction and intimacy levels.
Sexual Dynamics
This article investigates how different levels of combat experience influence sexual dynamics between military couples. Combat exposure has been found to alter individuals' perceptions about themselves and others, including their own sex drive and the desire to connect emotionally or physically with other people (Baumeister et al., 2015).
Many soldiers report having less interest in sex after returning from war zones due to fatigue, depression, anxiety, stress, or traumatic memories. Veterans may even develop erectile dysfunction as a result of hormonal imbalances caused by prolonged periods of intense physical activity (Schmidt & Schmidt, 2016). In addition, some male soldiers experience nightmares and flashbacks related to their time on the battlefield that make them fearful of touching or being touched by someone else (Chemtob et al., 2014). This can lead to a lack of sexual attraction towards their partners or even sexual avoidance altogether. Female veterans also reported feeling uncomfortable when engaging in intimate activities because they were reminded of the horrors they witnessed during combat operations (Davis et al., 2017). Consequently, these factors contribute to low sexual satisfaction among military couples.
Relational Satisfaction
Research suggests that varying degrees of combat experiences affect relational satisfaction among military marriages. Soldiers who have served in active war zones often struggle with feelings of guilt, shame, and anger related to what happened there. These emotions can spill over into their relationships at home where they become irritable or distant from their partners (Lynn et al., 2018). This makes it difficult for them to express love, tenderness, or affection towards each other without triggering negative thoughts about past traumas (Baumeister et al., 2015).
PTSD symptoms such as hypervigilance, aggression, and dissociation are associated with increased conflict between couples (Van der Kolk et al., 2019). Veterans may feel paranoid around their partners and be constantly on edge, leading to arguments about minor issues.
Some soldiers develop substance abuse problems which further worsen communication and collaboration within their marriage (Sperry et al., 2016).
Combat exposure seems to influence the quality of military marriages negatively.
Intimacy
This study explores how differing levels of combat experience affect intimacy levels in military couples. Couples report feeling less connected emotionally due to stressful events during deployment (Cohen & Lumley, 2017).
One partner may not talk openly about their experiences because they fear being judged or misunderstood by the other (Hartwell-Walker, 2015). This lack of transparency leads to a lack of trust that gradually erodes the foundation of the relationship (Gordon et al., 2017).
Frequent deployments can make both partners feel isolated from each other physically since they spend long periods apart (Stotzer et al., 2018). As such, it becomes harder for them to share moments of vulnerability or express emotional needs without fearing rejection or abandonment. In addition, trauma memories from previous wars may intrude into present relationships causing flashbacks or panic attacks that disrupt intimate encounters between spouses (Ahmadi et al., 2019).
Combat experience influences sexual dynamics, relational satisfaction, and intimacy among military couples differently based on gender roles. Male veterans with PTSD symptoms tend to have low sexual satisfaction while females who served actively in war zones also struggle with attraction issues.
These factors are intertwined and mutually reinforcing, suggesting that interventions should focus on treating all facets simultaneously rather than individually. Military families need more support from mental health professionals who understand their unique challenges and offer effective solutions tailored to their needs.
How does varying combat experience influence sexual dynamics, relational satisfaction, and intimacy among military couples?
Although research on military couples remains limited, there is some evidence that suggests that varied combat experiences may affect sexual dynamics, relational satisfaction, and intimacy within these relationships. Specifically, traumatic combat experiences can lead to posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), which has been linked to lower relationship satisfaction, decreased intimacy, and less satisfying sex lives among veterans and their partners (Bailey et al. , 2018).