U.S. Military Service Members and Romantic Relationships: Identity Gaps, Mindfulness, and Relational Quality

Abstract

In this study, we sought to discover how the ability of service members to communicate with their partner, considering their communal and personal identity, would affect commitment, satisfaction, and intention in their romantic relationships. The communication theory of identity guided this research on the associations between identity gaps and romantic relationship issues among U.S. military service members, both veterans and current forces. Military service members (N = 432) completed a questionnaire about their romantic relationships and military service. We hypothesized the larger the gaps between community enactment, personal enactment, and personal, relational identity frames the lower participants would score on relational commitment, satisfaction, and intention. All three gaps were significantly associated with relational closeness and satisfaction. Multiple regression analyses revealed that all three identity frames were substantial predictors of relational commitment and satisfaction, explaining 24% and 51.5% of the variance, even after controlling for other variables. This research supports the tenets of the communication theory of identity. It also supplies practical insights that could help mitigate adverse relational outcomes of U.S. service members.