Military lifestyle stressors and social support in the well-being of military families

Abstract

The military lifestyle presents military families with many challenges. In the most recent survey of Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) spouses, relocation was the third-most frequently reported stressor for CAF families. Yet the other four of the top five stressors—spousal employment, primary healthcare, financial stability, and childcare—can be affected by relocations resulting from postings. To what extent these stressors affect spousal well-being is unclear, however, because many spouses demonstrate a high level of well-being despite experiencing these challenges. This chapter examines the extent to which military lifestyle stressors influence military spouses’ well-being and the role of social support as both a predictor of well-being and as a buffer against stress–strain relations. The results show that many military lifestyle stressors (e.g., employment difficulties, relocation difficulties, financial stress, and healthcare access) were associated with specific types of well-being, but only perceived social support was a strong predictor of all types of well-being. Further, the results reveal a main effect rather than a stress buffer for the positive influence of perceived social support on military spouses’ well-being.