Coping behaviors used by Army wives during deployment separation and their perceived effectiveness.

PURPOSE: The purpose of this descriptive correlational study was to describe the coping behaviors used by Army wives during deployment separation, the perceived effectiveness of the coping behaviors used, and the correlation between the two variables.

DATA SOURCES: A secondary analysis was conducted to examine coping use and perceived effectiveness, measured by the Jalowiec Coping Scale (JCS), in a sample of 102 Army wives surveyed during deployment separation.

CONCLUSIONS: The most used coping subscales from the JCS were the optimistic and supportant and the most effective were the supportant and confrontive. The strongest correlations between coping use and effectiveness were found in the supportant subscale, which measures use of support systems (r = 0.77, p < .00), and the confrontive subscale, which includes behaviors of constructive problem solving (r = 0.62, p < .00). The use and effectiveness of individual behaviors are also identified.

IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE: Identifying effective and ineffective coping behaviors of spouses of deployed troops can potentially reduce stress and improve well-being. Primary care providers should encourage military spouses to engage in optimistic thinking, seek out spiritual support, talk to others in a similar situation, and participate in physical activity.