Reunion After Deployment: Describing Findings From a Study of Military Couples Funded by the U.s. Department of Defense

The results imply benefits to helping military couples avoid unrealistic expectations by educating them about the relationship changes typical of reintegration. Support for relationship well-being may be most relevant 4 to 5 weeks after homecoming. Clinical services may have success targeting interpersonal communication skills, relational uncertainty, interference from a partner, relationship satisfaction, and trust between partners. With respect to collecting data from military couples, our advice for principal investigators is to be flexible, stay persistent, and build networks.