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Health Dynamics of Military and Veteran Couples: A Biopsychorelational Overview

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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.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Child Development and Family Relations, East Carolina University, Greenville, NC, USA

    Melissa Lewis & Angela Lamson

  2. Seymour Johnson Air Force Base, Goldsboro, NC, USA

    Bret Leseuer

Authors
  1. Melissa Lewis
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  2. Angela Lamson
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  3. Bret Leseuer
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Correspondence to Melissa Lewis.

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Lewis, M., Lamson, A. & Leseuer, B. Health Dynamics of Military and Veteran Couples: A Biopsychorelational Overview. Contemp Fam Ther 34, 259–276 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10591-012-9193-7

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10591-012-9193-7

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