Date
9-17-2026
Department
School of Behavioral Sciences
Degree
Doctor of Philosophy in Psychology (PhD)
Chair
Jon Hart
Keywords
Military spouse employment, PsyCap, perceived employability, career self-management, personal resources, psychological capital
Disciplines
Psychology
Recommended Citation
Higginbotham, Sydney, "Exploring Psychological Capital and Perceived Employability in the Career Experiences of Military Spouses" (2026). Doctoral Dissertations and Projects. 8931.
https://digitalcommons.liberty.edu/doctoral/8931
Abstract
Military spouses face distinct employment challenges that stem from the unique demands and disruptions that the military lifestyle can create. These disruptions can create barriers to employment that require military spouses draw on internal and external resources to adapt. Grounded in conservation of resources theory and social cognitive career theory, this study considers how psychological capital and perceived employability, as adaptive responses, contribute to an increase of one’s agency in career management. A quantitative, cross-sectional survey design was employed to test hypotheses through regression analyses. Data was collected from an online survey of a convenience sample of 41 military spouses of active-duty service members stationed at Wright-Patterson Air Force base. Findings revealed psychological capital and perceived employability significantly predicted career self-management, but no moderation effect of PsyCap on the relationship between perceived employability and career self-management was detected. The results suggest that career enhancing resources can lead to positive career behaviors in military spouses and may act as an additive effect given the contextual constraints of the military lifestyle.
