| This research study utilized the conceptual framework of Karney and Crown's (2007) "Integrative Framework to Account for the Success and Failure in Military Marriages." In particular, this research examined how enduring traits, adaptive processes, marital resources, non-military circumstances, and military experiences of female spouses across all branches of the military impacted the perceived marital satisfaction of their marriages. The Experiences in Close Relationships- Relationship Structures Questionnaire (ECR-RS), the Confidence Scale (CS), the Communication Danger Signs Scale (CDSS), the Ways of Coping- Revised (WOC-R), the List of Threatening Experiences Questionnaire (LTE-Q), the Military Lifestyle Demand Variables, and the Revised Dyadic Adjustment Scale (R-DAS) were given to a sample of 206 female military spouses across all branches of the military. The results indicated significant differences in the levels of relationship confidence, communication, coping strategies, perceived marital satisfaction, stress, military-related stress, and attachment between the five military branches. The results also indicated that multiple deployments, length of marriage, relationship confidence, attachment, communication, and coping strategies predict perceived marital success across the total sample. Furthermore, the current findings highlight the importance of deployment status, combat exposure, and the risk of injury, or death, which has been found to negatively impact military marriages.;KEY WORDS: enduring traits, adaptive processes, marital resources, military spouse, marital satisfaction. |
