Abstract
The purpose of this review article is to present the current state of military and veteran couple’s health by addressing biological,
psychological, and relational risks and resiliencies. Articles were selected using key words such as “military couple, dyad,
or relationship” and were searched in the following databases: PsychInfo, Military and Government Collection, and Medline.
Literature trends reveal that the role of the military spouse is no longer secondary, but is crucial to the health of the
military and veteran couple. The spouse is recommended to be a part of the biopsychosocial assessment that service members
receive and also be assessed themselves for stress derived symptoms such as hypertension, post traumatic stress, and depression.
Assessments for health should occur sooner after deployment and at more frequent intervals given the dynamic nature of stress
on health over time. The health of service members and veterans is couched within their personal and familial relationships,
thus medical family therapists are the most well prepared to attend to the dynamics between health, stress, and relational
well-being across the lifespan of military and veteran couples.
psychological, and relational risks and resiliencies. Articles were selected using key words such as “military couple, dyad,
or relationship” and were searched in the following databases: PsychInfo, Military and Government Collection, and Medline.
Literature trends reveal that the role of the military spouse is no longer secondary, but is crucial to the health of the
military and veteran couple. The spouse is recommended to be a part of the biopsychosocial assessment that service members
receive and also be assessed themselves for stress derived symptoms such as hypertension, post traumatic stress, and depression.
Assessments for health should occur sooner after deployment and at more frequent intervals given the dynamic nature of stress
on health over time. The health of service members and veterans is couched within their personal and familial relationships,
thus medical family therapists are the most well prepared to attend to the dynamics between health, stress, and relational
well-being across the lifespan of military and veteran couples.
- Content Type Journal Article
- Category Original Paper
- Pages 1-18
- DOI 10.1007/s10591-012-9193-7
- Authors
- Melissa Lewis, Department of Child Development and Family Relations, East Carolina University, Greenville, NC, USA
- Angela Lamson, Department of Child Development and Family Relations, East Carolina University, Greenville, NC, USA
- Bret Leseuer, Seymour Johnson Air Force Base, Goldsboro, NC, USA
- Journal Contemporary Family Therapy
- Online ISSN 1573-3335
- Print ISSN 0892-2764