MARITAL ADJUSTMENT OF ARMY SPOUSES ONE-YEAR AFTER OPERATION DESERT-STORM

One year after Operation Desert Storm, marital adjustment was studied among 773 Army spouses married to soldiers who had been deployed. Inte rviews with some spouses and soldiers, conducted during site visits to a sample of installations, led to the identification of 19 marital ad justment events. Questions regarding these events were included in a m ailed questionnaire that was sent to a sample of Army spouses. A facto r analysis of the 19 events produced five factors: (a) Distance, (b) C loseness, (c) Role sharing, (d) Independent Spouse, (e) Dependent Spou se/Withdrawn Soldier. Predictors of factor scores were examined throug h multiple regression analysis. Predictors of factor scores included s tress, prior marital problems, social support, and emotional well-bein g. Most spouses adjusted well to the deployment. Adjustment patterns a re discussed in light of previous literature on war separation and att achment theory.