A strong and stable relationship is an essential aspect of life. It can be challenging to maintain a healthy relationship while one partner is deployed to serve their country. Military families often face various difficulties due to the absence of their spouse, which can cause stress and strain on their romantic connection. In this article, we will examine how external social support networks influence the maintenance of intimacy among deployed military couples.
External social support networks refer to people outside the immediate family who provide emotional, practical, and psychological assistance during times of need. These include relatives, friends, neighbors, community members, religious leaders, and professional counselors. They help alleviate the burden of military service by providing emotional support, sharing responsibilities, and facilitating communication between partners. The presence of such individuals creates a sense of belonging, empathy, and understanding, which enhances the feeling of being cared for and valued. This helps military couples feel less isolated, more connected, and empowered.
Deployments create emotional distance, which may lead to a lack of physical intimacy in many relationships. Couples separated by long distances often rely on video calls, text messages, emails, and letters to stay in touch. Without physical proximity, it's hard for them to share affectionate gestures, hugs, or kisses, making intimacy difficult.
They can still express their love through words of affirmation, acts of service, quality time spent together, and gifts.
Social media platforms like Facebook, WhatsApp, Instagram, Snapchat, and Twitter offer an excellent opportunity for deployed military personnel to connect with loved ones back home and keep up with what is happening. These platforms allow them to see pictures, read posts, watch videos, send messages, and make phone calls. Military spouses may share personal stories, updates on daily activities, feelings, and thoughts about their partner's deployment, which strengthens the bond.
Friends and family members provide another source of external social support. They provide practical assistance such as childcare, household chores, financial advice, and emotional support. Family friends can also be valuable resources during deployments because they understand both parties' perspectives, thus offering unbiased opinions. Professional counselors help address mental health concerns, communication difficulties, and relationship issues that arise due to deployments.
External social support networks are crucial for maintaining romantic connections because they help couples overcome challenges posed by deployments. Friends and family members provide emotional support, practical assistance, and psychological guidance to ease tensions between partners. Social media platforms promote emotional closeness and facilitate communication despite distance, creating a sense of togetherness. Couples must leverage these networks to sustain intimacy despite deployments.
What role do external social support networks play in sustaining intimacy for deployed military couples?
External social support networks, such as family members, friends, colleagues, neighbors, etc. , can play several roles in sustaining intimacy for deployed military couples. Firstly, they can provide emotional support by listening to their concerns and worries about deployment, reassuring them that everything will be fine, and offering words of encouragement. Secondly, they can help maintain regular communication between the couple, which is essential for preserving intimacy during separation.