To Tell or Not to Tell: A Study of Naval Aviator Wives' Disclosure Practices during Deployment and Perceived Influence on Officer Retention

The decision regarding whether or not to disclose to a deployed military spouse presents special challenges as there are multifarious outcomes that might arise as a result of engaging in the disclosure. This study further illuminates this dialectical tension within naval aviator wives, a grossly understudied subset of military spouses. The purpose of this study was to assess disclosure practices of naval aviator wives in order to discern what influence, if any, this communication had on marital satisfaction, Navy life satisfaction, and perceived influence over retention plans. Naval aviator wives (N = 486) who had experienced separation from their husbands due to deployment completed a web-based survey about their disclosure practices during deployment. It was found that less stressful self-disclosures by wives to their deployed husbands was positively associated with greater marital satisfaction, greater Navy life satisfaction and greater feelings of influence regarding career continuance. Social penetration theory was applied as a lens through which to examine the breadth and depth of disclosure practices during deployment and it was found that the more open wives were in their disclosures (depth), the more influence they had on retention plans. Stressful topics that were intentionally avoided by wives were articulated, along with justification for the avoidance and communication strategies to remedy the tension. Positive re-framing of pre-deployment guidelines and adopting a mentality of equifinality are suggested as practical applications for military leaders to consider.