Adaption and adjustment of military spouses to overseas postings: An online forum study

Document Type

Article

Source of Publication

Nursing and Health Sciences

Publication Date

1-1-2014

Abstract

© 2014 Wiley Publishing Asia Pty Ltd. Little research has examined the impact of being an accompanying spouse on British military foreign postings. The aim of this qualitative study was to investigate the experiences of 13 military spouses from 11 different overseas locations. Data were collected via an online forum and thematic content analysis was conducted. Key findings revealed that, regardless of the location, reactions to overseas posting varied considerably and were related to the military spouse's personality and personal circumstances, as well as their relationship with family, husband and their support networks. Spouses experienced a loss of control over their lives that was in some cases psychologically distressing. The findings corroborate and extend the findings from a previous study that was limited to one location, further highlighting the need for pre-established support resources from the military and healthcare professionals to be readily accessible for all military spouses. Importantly, such support provision may also facilitate the military spouse in regaining some control over their everyday life, enhancing their well-being and the experience for the family.

ISSN

1441-0745

Publisher

Blackwell Publishing

Volume

16

Issue

3

First Page

387

Last Page

394

Disciplines

Medicine and Health Sciences | Social and Behavioral Sciences

Keywords

Internet-based research, Military relocation, Online forum, Overseas, Relationship, Spouse, Well-being

Scopus ID

84907956641

Indexed in Scopus

yes

Open Access

no

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