Couples' psychosocial adaptation to combat wounds and injuries

Almost half of all service members are married at the time of their deployment, and spouses play a key role in their rehabilitation after being wounded in combat. This chapter reviews the literature on couples' psychosocial adaptation to combat wounds and injuries and is divided into three parts. First, we review studies on the impact of physical and psychological wounds on service members' spousal relationships. Next, given the relative paucity of research in this area, we review the major theoretical frameworks that have guided an understanding of how spousal relationships promote adaptation to health-related stress in the civilian population and discuss how these frameworks can be used to help military couples cope with the unique challenges and implications of combat wounds and injuries. Finally, we discuss some of the challenges of doing research in this area and propose directions for future research.