Date
8-24-2023
Department
School of Behavioral Sciences
Degree
Doctor of Philosophy in Psychology (PhD)
Chair
Laura Rolen
Keywords
military, military spouse, children, deployment, attachment, parental attachment, marriage
Disciplines
Counseling | Psychology
Recommended Citation
Priftis, Julia A., "The Relationships among Number of Service Member Deployments and Spousal Depression and Parental Attachment" (2023). Doctoral Dissertations and Projects. 4690.
https://digitalcommons.liberty.edu/doctoral/4690
Abstract
This research examined the relationship between the number of deployments and depression in military spouses, focusing on the correlations among service members' deployments, spousal mental health, and parenting attachment. A quantitative correlational study was conducted using 78 participants, of whom only 19 were veterans and 59 were spouses with no military background. The Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) and the Protective Factors Survey (PFS) were used. It was found that military deployments do not negatively associate with parental attachment and spousal depression. It was found that military spouses who experience multiple deployments have less chance of experiencing depression and that deployment was not negatively associated with parental attachment. This research is aimed at supplying service members better tools and understanding of parenting attachment as it relates to the number of deployments experienced. Future research needs to be completed to understand how military families can receive help from more resources catering to this population's unique experiences.
