“We walk on eggshells”: A phenomenological inquiry of wives’ experiences of living with active-duty Marine husbands with PTSD

ABSTRACT

In this qualitative study, the authors explored the lived experiences of wives married to active-duty male Marines who have a diagnosis of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). The first author and primary investigator conducted in-depth interviews with eight women, all of whom had been married more than 3 years and experienced at least one deployment while married. Transcendental phenomenology was used to gain an understanding of each woman’s experience. The central research question in this study was “What is it like to live with an active-duty male Marine with PTSD?” Findings demonstrated five essential themes: (1) the unpredictability of living with someone with PTSD, (2) the spouse had to take on different roles, (3) the wives felt unprepared to handle PTSD, (4) the wives received different messages when trying to seek help for their husbands, and (5) the wives wanted to send messages to other wives living with Marines with PTSD.

KEYWORDS:

• Active duty
• Marine Corps
• PTSD
• wives’ experiences

Acknowledgment

Jenna Temple was a doctoral student in the Couple and Family Therapy Program at California School of Professional Psychology, Alliant International University, San Diego Campus. She now works for Camelot Community Care in Tampa, Florida. Marianne M. Miller, Alyssa Banford Witting, and Angela B. Kim are core faculty in the Couple and Family Therapy Program at Alliant.