Can intimate support mitigate cumulative psychological effects of repeated deployments?
By Kaitlyn D. Jones
The military experience is very challenging for soldiers who are regularly deployed to hostile areas to perform their duties. Repeated deployments can cause considerable trauma that may affect mental health and lead to long-term damage.
There is no doubt that close relationships help people cope better with stressful situations, including those experienced during warfare. Therefore, researchers have been asking whether intimate support can reduce the psychological impact of deployment. This article explores how intimate support, especially emotional support from spouses, helps soldiers deal with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) caused by prolonged exposure to combat experiences.
It has become increasingly clear that regular exposure to violence, danger, and death in the battlefield causes soldiers to develop PTSD symptoms, such as nightmares, flashbacks, insomnia, anxiety, irritability, hypervigilance, depression, and suicidal thoughts or actions. The condition is diagnosed if these symptoms persist for more than a month after a deployment ends. Soldiers with this problem find it difficult to form new memories due to a phenomenon known as "fight or flight," which causes them to live in constant fear even when they return home. They often avoid contact with other people because they feel isolated and detached from society's norms. Some veterans report difficulty sleeping or feeling anxious and restless, leading to substance abuse or aggression. These problems can have devastating effects on family life, relationships, careers, finances, and overall wellbeing. The military has made significant efforts to identify the factors that contribute to PTSD so that solutions can be found quickly. One solution lies in providing psychosocial interventions for soldiers before, during, and after deployments.
Intimate support is an important part of mental health treatment for military personnel who are repeatedly deployed. A study conducted in 2015 found that marital distress increased risk of PTSD among soldiers while intimacy helped alleviate its symptoms. The researchers attributed this result to the effectiveness of emotional attachment as a buffer against stress. Couples who remained emotionally close despite frequent separations were less likely to suffer from PTSD compared to those without intimate bonds. This finding has led to the development of programs to strengthen marriages, such as pre-deployment counseling and couples therapy after the war.
There is no clear evidence that these initiatives reduce trauma symptoms significantly.
Intimate partnership helps soldiers deal with deployment stress by normalizing their experiences. By telling spouses about their encounters with combat situations, servicemen can share their fears and anxieties, which makes them feel better understood. They also learn to discuss sensitive topics like sexuality and violence safely and honestly without judgment, reducing feelings of guilt or shame.
Close relationships provide social support, which has been shown to protect veterans from suicide risks. Spouses can help with household chores and childcare when a soldier returns home, ensuring they have time to rest, relax, and reflect on their experiences.
The presence of a loved one can make it easier for veterans to cope with post-traumatic symptoms and improve their wellbeing.
Repeated deployments cause many veterans to experience long-term psychological effects that can affect their lives even years after service. Intimate support, especially emotional attachment from family members, may alleviate some of the negative impacts of prolonged exposure to combat.
More research is needed to establish how effective this intervention is in preventing PTSD among military personnel. It would be best if you considered seeking professional guidance if you suspect a mental health problem after returning from duty. You should not hesitate to seek treatment before things get worse because early intervention can save your life.
Can intimate support mitigate cumulative psychological effects of repeated deployments?
Scientific research suggests that sustaining social and emotional bonds between deployed soldiers and their families can help them better manage stressful situations during multiple military deployments (Gebhardt et al. , 2019). The relationship provides an outlet for sharing personal experiences and concerns about deployment, which helps maintain a sense of connection with home life while away from it.