Sexual partnerships can have a profound impact on how service members cope with prolonged deployments. Deployment stress is an emotional rollercoaster that often leads to feelings of loneliness, anxiety, depression, anger, and fear. These negative emotions can be exacerbated when a service member is away from their loved ones for extended periods of time. In this context, maintaining a healthy relationship with a romantic partner or sexual partner during deployment can help alleviate these challenges and provide much-needed support. Sexual partnerships during deployments are characterized by physical closeness, emotional intimacy, communication, trust, vulnerability, and support.
Physical closeness helps relieve tension and provides a sense of comfort and security.
Cuddling, holding hands, kissing, and hugging promote feelings of warmth, safety, and belonging. These activities also release oxytocin, which reduces cortisol levels and lowers blood pressure. Emotional intimacy involves open communication and mutual understanding. It allows both parties to express themselves honestly and unconditionally without judgment or criticism. This creates a safe space where both individuals feel heard and supported. Trust involves reliability, loyalty, honesty, transparency, and consistency. Couples who trust each other have stronger bonds and less conflict. Vulnerability requires both individuals to share personal thoughts, beliefs, experiences, and emotions. This encourages empathy and emotion regulation, enabling them to better understand and manage their own and their partner's emotions.
Support involves offering assistance, advice, and guidance in times of need. This reinforces the bond between partners and demonstrates commitment.
Sexual partnerships can be especially beneficial when deployed service members experience deployment stressors such as separation anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), trauma, depression, and substance abuse. Separation anxiety is common among couples, especially if they live far apart or have young children. PTSD can lead to intrusive memories, nightmares, avoidance behaviors, hypervigilance, and anger outbursts. Trauma refers to exposure to violence, injury, death, or life-threatening situations. Depression causes feelings of sadness, hopelessness, and worthlessness. Substance abuse includes excessive alcohol consumption, drug use, or addiction. These challenges are exacerbated during deployments due to limited access to professional help and increased isolation. Sexual partnerships provide an opportunity for emotional and physical intimacy that can alleviate these negative symptoms and promote resilience.
Sexual partnerships are not without challenges. Long-distance relationships require regular communication, patience, flexibility, and compromise. Military couples often face unique challenges such as frequent moves, unpredictable schedules, and deployments. Military families may also struggle with financial difficulties, family obligations, and social stigma.
Some military members worry about their sexual partners' loyalty, fidelity, and safety while they are away. To address these issues, couples should prioritize open communication, set boundaries, plan ahead, and seek support when necessary. This involves being honest, transparent, consistent, patient, and understanding.
Setting ground rules around texting frequency, video calls, sexually transmitted infections (STIs), birth control, safe sexual practices, and other topics can prevent misunderstandings. Maintaining a healthy relationship requires effort, commitment, and dedication from both parties.
Sexual partnerships play a critical role in helping service members cope with prolonged deployments. They provide much-needed comfort, security, and support, which alleviates stress, anxiety, depression, trauma, PTSD, substance abuse, and other deployment challenges. While there are challenges associated with long-distance relationships, communication, planning, and support can mitigate them.
Maintaining a healthy sexual partnership during a deployment is crucial for mental and emotional well-being.
To what extent do sexual partnerships influence the development of coping strategies during prolonged deployments?
The impact of long-term deployments on soldiers' mental health is significant. A study by Lopez et al. (2019) explored this issue among active-duty military personnel who were stationed overseas for more than six months. The researchers found that there was a strong correlation between length of deployment and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), depression, and anxiety symptoms.