Developing Conceptual Definitions and Theoretical Models of Coping in Military Families During Deployment

Military deployment is a stressful event that can create numerous challenges; yet many families are able to maintain resilience. This study examines how military spouses/partners cope, individually and within their families, during spousal deployment. In-depth interviews were conducted with 26 female spouses/partners with male partners currently deployed. The results indicate that military partners enact various individual (e.g., distraction/escape, emotion coaching), social (e.g., support seeking, protective buffering), and communal (e.g., adjusting responsibilities, distracting/engaging children, enabling father-child involvement, privacy management) coping strategies. The study attempts to extend Afifi et al.’s theoretical model of coping through further developing conceptualizations of coping forms and functions.