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Troops overseas often want nothing more than to get back home toloved ones - but the reunion period often can be more emotionallytaxing than the deployment. Returning service members are at a greater risk of both depressivesymptoms and relationship distress, and research shows the twooften go together, says University of Illinois researcher LeanneKnobloch (pronounced kuh-NO-block). That's not a good thing, sincesomeone suffering from depressive symptoms "really needs thesupport of their romantic partner." In a study published in August in the Journal of Family Psychology,in a special issue on military families, Knobloch, a professor ofcommunication, and co-author Jennifer Theiss, a professor ofcommunication at Rutgers University, offer some advice forreturning service members: Recognize the uncertainties you mighthave about the relationship and address them. And anticipate sources of interference from your spouse or partnerin everyday life and routines, and attempt to resolve them. Those were two issues that showed up in their study as "mediators"linking depressive symptoms and relationship distress, Knoblochsaid. "These may be pathways through which people's depressive symptomsmake them dissatisfied or unhappy with their relationships." They may help explain why depressive symptoms and relationshipdistress are connected, she said, "and the why is important becauseit suggests how to attack the problem, how to break the link." Knobloch emphasized that having questions or uncertainty about arelationship is not unusual for those with depressive symptoms. "People with depressive symptoms have a tendency to questioneverything in their lives," she said. Feelings of interference from a partner are also not unusual, shesaid, given that each person has grown accustomed to doing thingson their own during the deployment. The study's conclusions fit with a model of relational turbulencethat Knobloch and others have created to understand transitions inrelationships. The study also is one of several in a line ofresearch Knobloch and Theiss have conducted with military couplesand their families, with other papers in press or under review. The study was based on a one-time online survey of 220 servicemembers - 185 men and 35 women from 27 states who had been homeless than six months from their last deployments. Of the total, 64percent were in the National Guard and 28 percent in the Army, withthe Air Force, Marines and Navy each representing 3 percent orless. Fifty-seven percent had completed multiple deployments. Participants were solicited through fliers circulated atreintegration workshops, through online forums, and contacts withmilitary chaplains, family readiness officers and other militarypersonnel. The authors found that distress in the relationship was no more orless likely for couples who had been through multiple deploymentsversus those who had been through just one. "Military couples often say that every deployment is different,"Knobloch said. They did find, however, that distress was more likely among thosein the latter part of their six months after return, which fitswith research by others. "Our findings are important because returning service members andtheir partners sometime think that the transition home is going tobe a honeymoon period where everything is just romance and roses,"Knobloch said. "They can be disillusioned if they run intoobstacles." They might be better prepared for the potential upheaval, however,"if they recognize that it's a normal part of the process, thatmany couples go through it and it doesn't mean your relationship isnot good," she said. "Depression is a really hard thing, and if people can separatetheir relationship problems from the depression itself, then they're a step ahead," Knobloch said. Additional References Citations. The e-commerce company in China offers quality products such as China Self Aligning Ball Bearings , Spherical Roller Bearing Manufacturer, and more. For more , please visit Ball Joint Bearings today!
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