Spouse Adjustment Research Articles

Adaption and adjustment of military spouses to overseas postings: An online forum study

Little research has examined the impact of being an accompanying spouse on British military foreign postings. The aim of this qualitative study was to investigate the experiences of 13 military spouses from 11 different overseas locations. Data were collected via an online forum and thematic content analysis was conducted. Key findings revealed that, regardless of the location, reactions to overseas posting varied considerably and were related to the military spouse's personality and personal circumstances, as well as their relationship with family, husband and their support networks. Spouses experienced a loss of control over their lives that was in some cases psychologically distressing. The findings corroborate and extend the findings from a previous study that was limited to one location, further highlighting the need for pre-established support resources from the military and healthcare professionals to be readily accessible for all military spouses. Importantly, such support provision may also facilitate the military spouse in regaining some control over their everyday life, enhancing their well-being and the experience for the family.

Exploring the role of the spouse in expatriate failure: a grounded theory-based investigation of expatriate' spouse adjustment issues from India

This paper applied the grounded theory method in a study of the expatriates' spouses' relocation adjustment process and the impact of such adjustment problems in expatriate failure. A qualitative enquiry approach using open-ended questions in the form of personal interviews was adopted. Iteratively, the questions were changed to reach theoretical saturation and we allowed the respondents to lead us through the data collection process during our eventual theory development process. An action diagram technique was used to help structure and process the data. The study was conducted with 26 Indian origin spouses who had to encounter relocation issues one time or the other. We found the spouses' perceived gender role ideology to play a critical part in their adjustment process. Other factors that influenced the adjustment process in expatriate assignments were personality factors such as extraversion, organizational and family support, country demographics and pre-departure training.

‘Being dumped in to sink or swim’: an empirical study of organizational support for the trailing spouse

Previous HRD research has determined that spouse and family adjustment is an important contributor to overall international assignment success. This study examined three types of organizational support (practical, professional and social support) provided to trailing spouses during expatriation and how important this support is perceived to be in relation to spouse adjustment. We use family systems theory to explore crossover effects and to explain the link between organizational support and perceived adjustment. Our four-year study of 264 trailing spouses in 54 host-locations found that professional support (to address the dual-career issue) and social support (to alleviate marital stress) were perceived by trailing spouses as having the greatest impact on identity re-construction and, in turn, their adjustment. However, both types of support were lacking. Although practical support was offered almost without exception, it was also frequently criticized. The need to address intrinsic adjustment and assist in the development of a meaningful portable identity emerged as major findings. Using a qualitative research approach to give voice to trailing spouses’ ‘lived experience’, our study provides insights for HRD professionals as to gaps in existing levels of trailing spouse support and where policy improvements can be made.

The Trailing Spouse Re-visited: A Study of Organizational Support During International Assignments

Drawing on data collected over a 4-year period from a survey of 264 trailing spouses in 54 host-locations, we identify key issues related to three types of organizational support (practical, professional, and social support) provided to trailing spouses during international assignments, and how important this support is perceived to be. With a focus on the link between organizational support and trailing spouse adjustment, we conclude that professional support to address the dual-career issue and social support to alleviate marital stress are important. Both types of support are nonetheless lacking. Practical support is also frequently criticized. Implications for addressing intrinsic needs, and in particular, the necessity for organizational support to assist in developing a portable identity, emerge as major findings.

A different perspective of expatriate management

Based on a total of 243 papers and theses published in Taiwan and the West, this study provides a different perspective on expatriation management. The investigation includes selection criteria, staffing, training, the female expatriate, the expatriate spouse, and international adjustment. Research reveals that there are similar core concerns, such as an expatriate's professional knowledge, personality, adaptability, and international adjustment. Context-specific concerns also emerge. Taiwanese companies care more about expatriates' personal skills and willpower compared to the West, where companies care more about an expatriate's past performance, adaptability, and spousal adjustment. As more and more resource conscious SMEs are moving to compete in the international arena, attending to their international management needs becomes a pressing issue. This study provides the form, as well as the essence of Taiwanese expatriation management, especially with FDIs based in Taiwan playing a crucial role in the recent economic development of Asia. Taiwan's past successful international expansion certified the value of its expatriation management, particularly under severe resource constraints. The findings of this study may have policy and practical implications for relevant parties and emerging economies.

Attachment styles in patients with lung cancer and their spouses: associations with patient and spouse adjustment

This study examined attachment styles in patients with lung cancer and their spouses and associations between attachment styles and patient and spouse adjustment. One hundred twenty-seven patients with early stage lung cancer completed measures of attachment style, marital quality, self-efficacy, pain, depression, anxiety, and quality of life. Their spouses completed measures of attachment style, marital quality, self-efficacy, caregiver strain, and mood. Analyses indicated that, among patients, those high in either attachment anxiety or avoidance had significantly higher levels of anxiety and poorer social well-being. Attachment avoidance was also significantly associated with higher levels of depression and poorer marital quality and functional well-being. Spouse avoidant attachment was significantly associated with patient reports of increased pain and poorer functional well-being, and spouse anxious attachment was associated with poorer patient marital quality. Among spouses, those high in attachment avoidance reported significantly higher levels of caregiver strain, anger, depressed mood, and poorer marital quality; those high in attachment anxiety reported higher anxious mood. Dyads in which both partners were insecurely attached had significantly poorer adjustment compared to dyads in which both partners reported secure attachment. These preliminary findings raise the possibility that attachment styles of cancer patients and their spouses as individuals and as a dyad may be important factors affecting adjustment in multiple domains.

Managing global talent: solving the spousal adjustment problem

Spousal adjustment issues, increasingly career related, are a major reason for expatriate assignment failure. Employer-provided spousal assistance programs have been proposed to address this situation. This field study of 238 expatriate spouses found that those who experience a severe disruption or cessation of employment have significantly lower interaction adjustment to the expatriate experience than others. For spouses with a career orientation to work, females had higher cultural and interactional adjustment than males. Only 18% of the spouses received employer-provided career assistance, and there was no significant difference in adjustment between spouses who received assistance and those who did not. Interviews with 100 spouses indicated that their greatest needs are for networking information to assist with their job search and for a ‘go to’ person for practical settling-in assistance.

Helping military families through the deployment process: Strategies to support parenting.

Recent studies have highlighted the impact of deployment on military families and children and the corresponding need for interventions to support them. Historically, however, little emphasis has been placed on family-based interventions in general, and parenting interventions in particular, with returning service members. This paper provides an overview of research on the associations between combat deployment, parental adjustment of service members and spouses, parenting impairments, and children's adjustment problems, and provides a social interaction learning framework for research and practice to support parenting among military families affected by a parent's deployment. We then describe the Parent Management Training-Oregon model (PMTO(™)), a family of interventions that improves parenting practices and child adjustment in highly stressed families, and briefly present work on an adaptation of PMTO for use in military families (After Deployment: Adaptive Parenting Tools, or ADAPT). The article concludes with PMTO-based recommendations for clinicians providing parenting support to military families.

International adjustment, met expectations and cultural novelty: The family dimension of promoting IFDI in South Korea

This study analyses key aspects of expatriate family life in South Korea and the experiences of expatriate spouses within the context of the Korean government's efforts to promote inward investment. The findings of this study confirm the views expressed by scholars working in the fields of international human resource management and international adjustment regarding the factors that can facilitate or hinder spouse adjustment to a new environment and the actions that corporations can take to ease that process. This study contributes to the existing literature by offering some preliminary insights into the fine detail of family-related adjustment issues as they pertain to Korea, an environment and culture that has received little attention from Western scholars in this particular field. The insights are derived from a series of face-to-face, in-depth interviews conducted with Western expatriates and spouses living in Seoul in 2006–2007. In discussing the actions that can be taken to facilitate spouse adjustment, we move beyond the corporate dimension and argue that, in the case of Korea, the government needs to take further action to address the concerns of expatriate spouses in order to achieve its goal of enhancing the country's attractions as a host for inward investment.

Widowhood and the end of spousal care-giving: relief or wear and tear?

ABSTRACTThis paper analyses the impact of spousal care-giving on survivors' depressive symptoms six months into widowhood, and examines the applicability of a ‘relief model’ of spousal adjustment during bereavement. We examine several aspects of the care-giving situation, including care-giver stress, care-giving demands, and type and duration of care and how these affect survivors' depressive symptomatology. The sample is drawn from two waves of theChanging Lives of Older Couples(CLOC) survey, which was conducted in the United States in the Detroit Metropolitan Area, Michigan. The first wave of data was collected from couples and the second from the surviving spouse six months after the death of the partner. We use multiple regression analysis to examine the effects of key variables on depressive symptoms six months into widowhood, controlling for various demographic characteristics and personal circumstances. The results demonstrate that the duration of care-giving is the most influential predictor of survivors' depressive symptoms six months after the death. Indeed, long-term care-givers experience greater relief than both non-caregivers and short-term care-givers, as the predicted probabilities indicate. The results lead us to emphasise that care-giving and spousal bereavement should be studied as related processes rather than distinct phenomena. Indeed, relief from a chronically stressful care situation may actually ameliorate the negative effect of spousal loss for survivors.

Ibasho and the adjustment, satisfaction, and well-being of expatriate spouses

Abstract Success of the expatriate spouse has been repeatedly identified as a key to overall expatriate assignment success. However, little is known about how to increase the expatriate spouses’ adjustment to an overseas assignment. This study examines this problem from an occupational health viewpoint, looking at the relationships of stress with various outcomes related to success: satisfaction, adjustment, and well-being. In addition, the current study tests the effects of social support and a new construct, Ibasho, briefly defined as a sense of comfort and psychological security that a person feels in specific locations they regularly visit, as moderators of stressor–outcome relationships. Results suggest that stress is highly related to all outcomes measured. In addition, initial support for the independence and importance of the construct of Ibasho is established. Ibasho showed significant bivariate relationships with all of the measured variables. In addition, Ibasho accounted for unique variance in the prediction of general adjustment, personal adjustment, satisfaction, and depression above and beyond demographic control variables and social support. Finally, Ibasho interacted with stressors in order to significantly predict perceived stress.

A Longitudinal, Naturalistic Inquiry of the Adaptation Experiences of the Female Expatriate Spouse Living in Turkey

Using a one-year longitudinal-panel design, 32 American, female, expatriate spouses who relocated to Ankara, Turkey, were interviewed at just-arrived, 3-, 6-, 9-, and 12-months stages. This project utilized mixed methods research design. Results of the quantitative, repeated measures component is reported in Bikos et al. (2007, this issue). Results of the Naturalistic Inquiry provided rich, thick descriptions of eight themes as they unfolded through the first year of this expatriate assignment. The resulting themes included predeparture preparation, settling in, impact of expatriation on the wife's life roles, social emotional functioning, approaches to coping, supportive systems, language, and interaction with the host culture. The authors interpreted the results in light of the life role salience and career adaptability constructs of Super's Life-Span, Life-Space approach to career development. In addition, results of this project integrated well with previous research about expatriate spouse adjustment.

A developmental-contextual model of couples coping with chronic illness across the adult life span.

A developmental-contextual model of couples coping with chronic illness is presented that views chronic illness as affecting the adjustment of both the patient and the spouse such that coping strategies enacted by the patient are examined in relation to those enacted by the spouse, and vice versa. The developmental model emphasizes that dyadic coping may be different at various phases of the life span, changing temporally at different stages of dealing with the illness as well as unfolding daily as spouses interact around dyadic stressors. In addition, couples engaged in dyadic coping are affected by broad sociocultural factors (culture and gender) as well as more proximal contextual factors (quality of the marital relationship and the specific demands of the chronic illness). The model provides a framework for understanding how couples coping with chronic illness may together appraise and cope with illness during adulthood and for determining when spousal involvement is beneficial or harmful to both patient and spousal adjustment. The developmental-contextual model to dyadic appraisal and coping has numerous research implications for the field, and the authors conclude with specific recommendations for future research.

Anxiety and Marital Adjustment in Patients With Implantable Cardioverter Defibrillator and Their Spouses

Device-related fears are a pervasive psychosocial difficulty that patients with implantable cardioverter defibrillators (ICDs) experience. Spouses also encounter anxieties that may influence patient and spouse adjustment. This study examined anxiety and marital adjustment among ICD patients and spouses, as well as intersex differences between female and male patients. Patients and their spouses (N=62) completed separate individual assessment batteries regarding demographics, death anxiety, shock anxiety, general anxiety, and marital adjustment at a single time point during outpatient cardiology visits. Analyses revealed similar general anxiety and marital adjustment among participants, although spouses reported greater shock anxiety than did patients (P = .045). Female ICD patients reported more anxiety related to death and shock and received more shocks, despite equivalent indices of medical severity (P = .002). This study suggests that spouses of ICD patients experience higher levels of shock anxiety than do patients themselves and that female ICD patients experience higher levels of shock anxiety and death (anxiety than do male patients. Results suggest future research of device specific anxiety and clinical attention devoted to ICD patient spouses and female ICD patients.

(722): Relationship of marital attachment style to symptoms, self-efficacy and psychological distress in patients with lung cancer and their spouses

Attachment style has been linked to pain, coping, and psychological distress in patients with chronic illness and their caregivers, but little research has focused on patients with lung cancer. The purpose of this study was to investigate how marital attachment style in lung cancer patients and their spouses related to patients’ symptoms, self-efficacy for symptom management, and psychological distress and to their spouses’ levels of caregiver strain and self-efficacy. Participants were 73 early-stage lung cancer patients and their spouses who completed two standardized measures of attachment: marital attachment style and anxious and avoidant marital experiences. Patients completed questionnaires assessing pain, fatigue, self-efficacy for symptom management, anxiety, and depressive symptoms. Caregivers completed questionnaires assessing caregiver strain and self-efficacy for helping patients manage symptoms. Results indicated significant correlations between patient attachment and symptoms, self-efficacy, and psychological distress: Patients with a fearful attachment style (r=.37, p=.002) and those high in anxious (r=.37, p=.002) and avoidant (r=.30, p=.01) marital experiences reported higher levels of fatigue. Patients with a fearful attachment style also reported higher levels of pain (r=.37, p=.002). Anxious marital experiences were negatively associated with self-efficacy for symptom management (r=−.26, p=.03). Fearful, preoccupied, and dismissing attachment styles were significantly associated with anxiety (r=.24-.43, p’s<.05), as were anxious (r=.58, p<.0001) and avoidant (r=.45, p<.0001) marital experiences. Anxious (r=.38, p=.001) and avoidant (r=.40, p=.0005) marital experiences were also associated with depression. Among spouses, those with a preoccupied attachment style (r=.23, p<.05) and anxious (r=.25, p<.04) and avoidant (r=.24, p<.04) marital experiences reported higher levels of caregiver strain. Spouses with a more secure attachment style reported greater self-efficacy (r=.30, p=.01) while those high in avoidant marital experiences reported lower self-efficacy for helping the patient manage symptoms (r=−.24, p=.04). These findings suggest that marital attachment style is related to both patient and spousal adjustment to lung cancer.

Predicting Expatriate Adjustment

This study assumes that the frequently applied model, developed in North America, predicting expatriate adjustment to foreign host countries is applicable crossnationally. This assumption is tested using Israel as a host country, an environment far removed from North American culture, and one that represents a particularly highly heterogeneous society in values, ethnic identities, languages, and religions. Expatriates from 14 different countries stationed in Israel were studied during the term of their foreign assignment. Tested were various behavioral and attitudinal constructs, which include personal, cultural, and work variables. Despite the cultural milieu Israel poses, the predictive model was reconfirmed in most of its aspects. As expected, the findings indicated that spouse's adjustment and expatriate's adjustment are highly correlated. However, it was found that interaction adjustment and environmental adjustment are two distinct processes and are predicted by different behavioral and attitudinal attributes. Work adjustment constitutes a separate criterion and can be predicted by work attitudinal variables. The theoretical and applied implications of these findings are discussed.

Factors Associated With Marital Satisfaction and Mood Among Spouses of Persons With Chronic Back Pain

Few studies have examined the impact of chronic pain on the spouse. In this study the impact of pain and disability as rated by both the patient and the spouse on spouse marital satisfaction and affective distress was examined in 110 couples. Zero-order correlations indicated that absolute ratings of perceived disability by the spouse, rather than discrepancies between spouse and patient ratings, were most highly associated with spouse marital dissatisfaction and affective distress. Predictors of spouse marital satisfaction and distress were examined by using simultaneous multiple regression. Spouse ratings of greater physical disability were significantly related to greater spouse affective distress. Spouse ratings of higher psychosocial disability, lower spouse marital satisfaction, and being a patient of male gender were marginally related to higher spouse affective distress. Spouse marital dissatisfaction was significantly associated with patient ratings of greater psychosocial disability and lower pain. Spouse-rated psychosocial disability and affective distress were also marginally related to spouse marital satisfaction. These findings highlight the importance of patient disability, particularly limitations in function as perceived by the spouse, on spouse adjustment. Perspective The impact of chronic pain on the spouse of the person with pain has received little empirical attention. The present study examines the relationship between patient and pain-related factors and psychosocial adjustment in the spouse.

Disclosure between patients with gastrointestinal cancer and their spouses

This study examined patterns of disclosure about cancer-related concerns between patients with GI cancer and their spouses, and associations between patient and spouse disclosure and patient adjustment, spouse adjustment, and aspects of relationship functioning. A sample of 47 patients and 45 of their spouses completed a measure of disclosure which included ratings of their level of disclosure and level of holding back from disclosure of cancer-related concerns. Patients completed a measure of quality of life, spouses completed a measure of caregiver strain, and all participants completed measures of psychological distress and relationship functioning (intimacy, empathy, and partner avoidance and criticism). Data analyses revealed that patients and spouses reported moderately high levels of disclosure and low levels of holding back, with patients reporting higher levels of disclosure than spouses. Among patients and spouses, low levels of disclosure and high levels of holding back were associated with poorer relationship functioning. There were also some indications that high levels of holding back, and to a lesser extent low levels of disclosure, were associated with increased psychological distress for both patients and spouses. However, there were no indications that patient or spouse disclosure was harmful for the other person. Considered overall, the results of this study suggest that levels of disclosure between cancer patients and their spouses may be important in understanding how they adjust as a couple to the demands of the patient's illness.

Exploring the adjustment of American expatriate spouses in Germany

This paper re-conceptualizes the adjustment of expatriate spouses during overseas assignments and explores various factors influencing the level of spousal adjustment. It does so by using a combination of qualitative data, collected through interviews and group discussions with expatriate spouses, and quantitative data, gathered by means of a questionnaire survey of American expatriate spouses in Germany. The results support the existence of a hitherto neglected facet of spousal adjustment, designated 'role adjustment', and highlight some important antecedents of spousal adjustment. The implications of the results for research and the practice of international HRM are discussed.

Stress and coping among orthopaedic surgery residents and faculty.

Evaluations of physicians and residents have revealed concerning levels of psychosocial dysfunction. The purposes of this study were to determine the quality of life of orthopaedic residents and faculty and to identify the risk factors for decompensation. Twenty-one orthopaedic residents and twenty-five full-time orthopaedic faculty completed a 102-question voluntary, anonymous survey. The survey consisted of three validated instruments, i.e., the Maslach Burnout Inventory, the General Health Questionnaire-12, and the Revised Dyadic Adjustment Scale; and three novel question sets addressing background and demographic information, stress reaction and management, and the balance between work and home life. Descriptive statistics, pairwise correlations, simple t tests, and Pearson and nonparametric Spearman correlations were calculated. The simple correlation coefficient was used to assess bivariate relationships. The mean overall quality-of-life score, on a scale of 0 to 4 points, was 2.5 points for residents compared with 3.6 points for faculty members. Residents reported considerable burnout, showing a high level of emotional exhaustion and depersonalization and an average level of personal achievement, whereas faculty reported minimal burnout, showing a low level of emotional exhaustion (p < 0.0003), an average level of depersonalization (p < 0.0001), and a high level of personal achievement (p < 0.0001). Only two of twenty-five faculty members (compared with seven of twenty-one residents) scored over 4 points on the General Health Questionnaire-12, indicating significant symptomatology (p < 0.01). The majority of subjects reported that a partner or spouse showed nondistressed levels of marital adjustment and satisfaction. All residents and nine of the twenty-five faculty members had mentors but judged the resource to be minimally beneficial. Resident burnout and psychiatric morbidity correlated with weekly work hours; conflict between the commitments of work and home life; discord with faculty, nursing staff, and senior residents; debt load; and work-related stress. Protective factors included being a parent, spending time with a spouse, having a physician father, and deriving satisfaction from discussing concerns with colleagues, friends, and family. In pursuit of our goal of determining the quality of life of orthopaedic residents and faculty, we identified a large disparity between the two groups. The resident group reported much greater levels of dysfunction particularly with regard to burnout and psychiatric morbidity. Furthermore, with regard to our second goal; our data revealed a number of risk factors for resident decompensation, most notably, increased workload, high debt levels, and discord with superiors. In addition, our research revealed that the current support interventions by the residency program, including mentoring and facilitation of spousal adjustment, are viewed as being of little help.