Mission Possible: Managing Employment Related Stress as a Military Spouse

Military families are diverse in so many ways, but there are common experiences tied to the military environment that they all share in. Take a moment and think about what you would consider a universal military family experience to be.

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Did your mind go to the abstract, such as a sense of duty or patriotism? Or something more concrete, such as time spent away from loved ones or transitions? Is ‘stress’ something that came to mind? Perhaps not, but we’d hazard to guess that at least one of the experiences you imagined could either be considered a stressor itself or something that could result in stress.

We’re all familiar with the word stress, but what exactly is it? Stress occurs when life events, chronic strains, or daily hassles are encountered and impact an individual’s ability to cope, leading to strain (Pearlin & Bierman, 2013). It’s important to note that stress isn’t always a bad thing – we often grow from exposure to stress. For example, our bodies experience stress when exercising, but that stress can result in better heart health and muscle strength.

Military-related stressors that may come to mind for military families are likely things such as relocation and deployment. But stress is, of course, not constrained to the military operating environment. There are a variety of stressors that military families face, that civilian families endure, that are distinctive due to the nuanced nature of the system that they are occurring within. Take for example employment challenges, such as unemployment.

Unemployment as a Stressor

In a study that focused on identifying stressors of the female military spouse and how those stressors cluster together, unemployment accounted for about 21% of personal stressors in the past year (Sullivan et al., 2020). Additionally, those who reported the highest levels of stress, were the spouses most likely to report being unemployed (Sullivan et al., 2020). This is concerning given the high unemployment rate for active-duty military spouses is approximately 21% (Office of People Analytics, 2023). Spouses may also attribute unemployment-related stress as a type of stress specific to the military (Corry et al., 2021), which may worsen their overall perspective of being a part of the military family system.

Unemployment can unfortunately deprive spouses of social supports outside the home (Corry et al., 2021), leaving them with fewer social resources available to cope with stress. Stress experienced as a result of unemployment may also not be limited to physical or emotional stress. Some of the stress tied to unemployment is financial, as unemployment has been linked with higher financial stress among military families (Hosek & Wadsworth, 2013; Wang & Pullman, 2019). Stress also doesn’t like to stay ‘contained’ in one area – unemployment stress can make its way into the military family system, impacting things such as marital functioning, causing added overall hardship (Sullivan et al., 2020).

Simply put, stress from unemployment may start with challenges in the employment domain, but it doesn’t stay there. AND it can be cyclical – unemployment stress and its ripple effects may make finding and obtaining gainful employment even more challenging.

Resources for Managing Stress

If we lean into the mantra that there is no wrong door, although you might not be poised to help spouses manage stress related to their employment needs, it is important to know what resources are available that you can refer spouses to. A simple encouragement to utilize a resource may be the extra push that a spouse needs to seek out additional support. Here are some ideas and resources you may not have considered:

• Chill Drills is a mobile app created by a therapist who works with service members and their families. The app contains exercises designed to help users stay calm.
• Identify military spouses or local support groups in your area and encourage the spouses you work with to connect with them and build a supportive network.
• Identify the Military and Family Life Counselors in your region for referrals to spouses who may benefit from help in navigating everyday challenges.
• Encourage regular exercise and be familiar with a few local gyms that might have discounts for military families – exercise is a stress reliever.
• Mention mindfulness and relaxation resources. These techniques can help manage anxiety and reduce stress.
• Stress can result in anger and irritability for some – consider mentioning the AIMS app, which is a mobile app designed to help manage anger and irritability.

Resources for Employment

There are myriad options to help relieve stress as it relates to employment. Providers who are working in the employment readiness space can indirectly help reduce spouses’ stress by supporting their employment needs. Consider the following resources:

• Military OneSource provides a wide range of resources including career counseling, financial advice, and free training programs.
• Spouse Education and Career Opportunities (SECO) program is designed to help military spouses find employment and support their employment needs across the career life cycle.
  • MyCAA (My Career Advancement Account) is a scholarship program that offers financial assistance for military spouses who want to pursue education, training, licenses, or certifications necessary for employment.
  • The Military Spouse Employment Partnership (MSEP) is a Department of Defense initiative that connects military spouses with employers who are committed to hiring military spouses. It has a searchable database of job opportunities.
• Hiring Our Heroes is the U.S. Chamber of Commerce initiative that is focused on connecting military spouses and veterans with job opportunities. They host hiring events, provide networking opportunities, and offer resources such as resume-building and interview coaching.

Military spouses often face unique challenges. By being aware of the resources available to them, we can promote action and support a reduction in stress while working to support their employment needs. For military spouses, it is critical to manage stress and leverage available resources that can lead to self and family improvement, and, by extension, strengthen the military community.

References

• Corry, N. H., Williams, C. S., Radakrishnan, S., McMaster, H. S., Sparks, A. C., Briggs-King, E., Karon, S. S., & Stander, V. A. (2021). Demographic variation in military life stress and perceived support among military spouses. Military Medicine, 186, 214-221. https://doi.org/10.1093/milmed/usaa386
• Hosek, J., & Wadsworth, S. M. (2013). Economic conditions of military families. Future Child, 23(2), 41–59. https://doi.org/10.1353/foc.2013.0009
• Office of People Analytics. Defense Personnel Analytics Center. (2023). 2021 Active-Duty Spouse Survey. (Report No. 2023-045). Retrieved from: https://dpac.defense.gov/Portals/131/Documents/ActiveDutySpouseOverviewBriefing-Final-508.pdf
• Pearlin, L.I., Bierman, A. (2013). Current Issues and Future Directions in Research into the Stress Process. In: Aneshensel, C.S., Phelan, J.C., Bierman, A. (eds) Handbook of the Sociology of Mental Health. (2^nd ed., pp. 325-340). Handbooks of Sociology and Social Research. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-007-4276-5_16
• Sullivan, K. S., Park, N., & Riviere, L. A. (2020). Military and nonmilitary stressors associated with mental health outcomes among female military spouses. Family Relations, 69(3), 550–564. https://doi.org/10.1111/fare.12589
• Wang, Z., & Pullman, L. E. (2019). Financial stress, financial stability, and military spousal well-being. Journal of Military, Veteran and Family Health, 5(Suppl 1). 82-91. https://doi.org/10.3138/jmvfh.5.s1.2018-0025

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