Minneapolis VA Healthcare System.
Department of Psychiatry, University of Minnesota.
J Consult Clin Psychol. 2017 Apr;85(4):297-308. doi: 10.1037/ccp0000190.
Spouse/partners of military personnel demonstrate elevated levels of distress during military deployments, yet there is insufficient information about courses of adjustment over time. The current study identified trajectories of depression and alcohol use problems and predictors of those trajectories across the deployment cycle.
National Guard soldiers (N = 1973) and spouses/intimate partners (N = 1020) completed assessments of risk/protective factors and baseline measures of mental health functioning 2 to 5 months prior to soldiers' 1-year deployments (Time 1) to Kuwait/Iraq in support of Operation New Dawn or Afghanistan in support of Operation Enduring Freedom. Partners' mental health was reassessed at 4 months (Time 2) and 8 months (Time 3) after soldiers deployed, and both spouses/partners and soldiers were reassessed 2-3 months postdeployment (Time 4).
Latent class growth modeling of partner depression symptoms over time revealed 4 groups: Resilience (79.9%), Deployment Distress (8.9%), Anticipatory Distress (8.4%), and Post-Deployment Distress (2.7%). Three alcohol misuse trajectories were identified: Resilience (91.3%), Deployment Onset (5.4%), and Deployment Desistance (3.3%). Predeployment predictors of partners' depression symptom trajectories varied by group and included soldier reports of stressors and social support and partner levels of neuroticism, introversion, disconstraint, and reported stressors. Predeployment predictors of alcohol misuse trajectories varied by group, and included soldier levels of alcohol misuse as well as partner neuroticism, disconstraint, and family readiness.
Delineating and predicting trajectories of partner adjustment can allow for better targeted interventions toward those most at risk for heightened distress or alcohol problems over the deployment cycle. (PsycINFO Database Record
军人的配偶/伴侣在军事部署期间表现出更高水平的困扰，但关于随着时间的推移调整过程的信息不足。本研究确定了抑郁和酒精使用问题的轨迹，以及部署周期内这些轨迹的预测因素。
国民警卫队士兵（N=1973）及其配偶/亲密伴侣（N=1020）在士兵前往科威特/伊拉克支持“新黎明行动”或阿富汗支持“持久自由行动”的为期 1 年的部署前 2 至 5 个月（时间 1）完成了风险/保护因素和心理健康功能基线评估。在士兵部署后 4 个月（时间 2）和 8 个月（时间 3）重新评估了伴侣的心理健康，士兵和配偶/伴侣在部署后 2-3 个月（时间 4）进行了重新评估。
伴侣抑郁症状随时间的潜在类别增长模型显示了 4 个群体：韧性（79.9%）、部署困扰（8.9%）、预期困扰（8.4%）和部署后困扰（2.7%）。确定了三种酒精滥用轨迹：韧性（91.3%）、部署开始（5.4%）和部署停止（3.3%）。伴侣抑郁症状轨迹的前置预测因素因群体而异，包括士兵报告的压力源和社会支持以及伴侣的神经质、内向、放纵和报告的压力源。酒精滥用轨迹的前置预测因素因群体而异，包括士兵的酒精滥用程度以及伴侣的神经质、放纵和家庭准备程度。
描绘和预测伴侣调整轨迹可以更好地针对那些在部署周期内面临更高困扰或酒精问题风险的人进行有针对性的干预。
