Examination of the Relationship between Self and Choice of Coping Strategies among U.S. Active Duty Military Wives

• Published date: 01 July 2023
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.1177/0095327X221081222
• Author: Amy P. Page,Abigail M. Ross,Phyllis Solomon
• Date: 01 July 2023
• Subject Matter: Articles

https://doi.org/10.1177/0095327X221081222

Armed Forces & Society

2023, Vol. 49(3) 687 –712

© The Author(s) 2022

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DOI: 10.1177/0095327X221081222

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Article

1134644AFSXXX10.1177/0095327X221081222Armed Forces & SocietyPage et al.

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Examination of the

Relationship between Self and

Choice of Coping Strategies

among U.S. Active Duty

Military Wives

Amy P. Page

1

, Abigail M. Ross

1

, and Phyllis Solomon

2

Abstract

Previous research indicates that one’s identity relates to one’s use of specif‌ic coping

strategies. Exploring the relationship between self and coping in military wives is crucial

to understanding how they manage military lifestyle-related stressors. The researchers

hypothesized that identity status, self-concept clarity, self-monitoring, mastery, and

role conf‌lict will be related to choice of emotion-focused coping or problem-focused

coping strategies. Two hundred two participants completed an anonymous online

survey containing standardized scales. Ordinary least squares (OLS) regression ana-

lyses revealed that emotion-focused coping had positive relationships with achieved

identity status and role conf‌lict. Problem-focused coping had positive relationships with

moratorium status, self-concept clarity, self-monitoring, and mastery. Findings provide

preliminary support that sense of self is important in understanding how military wives

choose to cope with particular challenges.

Keywords

family issues, gender issues, military culture, coping, identity, military wife, self

1

Fordham University Graduate School of Social Service, New York, NY, USA

2

University of Pennsylvania School of Social Policy & Practice, Philadelphia PA, USA

Corresponding Author:

Amy P. Page, Fordham University Graduate School of Social Service, 113 W. 60th St, New York, NY 10023,

USA.

Email: amypage@upenn.edu

688 Armed Forces & Society 49(3)

Introduction

Understanding the coping process is crucial for examining psychological adjustment

and health (Lazarus, 1993). Coping minimizes negative emotions associated with

stressors and is a key factor in maintaining positive affect in the face of substantial

diff‌iculties (McCrae & Costa, 1986). A wide range of coping strategies may be needed

when an individual encounters chronic or repeated stressors (Dimiceli et al., 2010;

Patterson & McCubbin, 1984;Thoits, 1986). Women who are married to male military

service members face a unique constellation of challenges (Clever & Segal, 2013;

Dimiceli et al., 2010;Drummet et al., 2003;Green et al., 2013;Joseph & Af‌if‌i, 2010)

which demand constant use of coping strategies. Understanding which coping strat-

egies are used by this population as well as factors associated with choice of coping are

important f‌irst steps in identifying what may promote successful outcomes for this

group.

Extant research has documented the impact of typical military stressors on military

wives’functioning (e.g., Aducci et al., 2011;Clever & Segal, 2013;Dimiceli et al.,

2010;Green et al., 2013;Padden et al., 2011). However, the literature’s generally

limited focus on stressors and well-being, without attention to coping processes,

suggests that the military lifestyle itself determines outcomes. While external factors

may play a role in outcomes, these women also have control over the ways in which

they cope.

To date, most research regarding military spouses has centered on deployment-

associated stressors (e.g., Aducci et al., 2011;Davis et al., 2011;Nichols et al., 2013),

with less attention given to wives’experiences of overall Active Duty lifestyle

challenges (Green et al., 2013). One of the most fundamental, but rarely recognized,

diff‌iculties these women confront is maintaining a healthy sense of self. Research

shows that the Active Duty military lifestyle constantly threatens to undermine her

sense of identity by expecting that she place the military’s needs ahead of her own

(Drummet et al., 2003;Robbins, 2002;Ziff & Garland-Jackson, 2020), and adapt to

career interruptions and new roles with each relocation (Dimiceli et al., 2010;Ziff &

Garland-Jackson, 2020). Military wives may perceive a lack of control over their lives

(Aducci et al., 2011;Davis et al., 2011;Dimiceli et al., 2010;Robbins, 2002). To

manage these stressors, they may look to others for behavioral or emotional cues to

conform (Drummet et al., 2003;Wang et al., 2015).

Given this specif‌ic set of challenges and the lack of research on the overall military

spouse experience, it is important to examine whether sense of self inf‌luences choice of

coping strategies in contexts outside of deployment. More research is needed on the

cumulative effects of this unique lifestyle on choice of coping. Additionally, under-

standing the relationship between the self and choice of coping would likely yield

important information for clinicians who serve military wives, those who create

programs to support them, and those who create policies aimed to benef‌it them (Braun-

Lewensohn & Bar, 2017;Runge et al., 2014). The lack of comprehensive services

available for military wives (Klodnicki, 2015) underscores the importance of

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