On behalf of Stange Law Firm, PC posted in Military Family Law on Tuesday, July 10, 2012.
Military deployments put a certain stress on not only those in the service, but also on their families. In fact, a recent Johns Hopkins University study found civilian spouses suffer from the same types of post-traumatic stress symptoms that their military husbands and wives go through upon returning home from combat.
The fact that civilian husbands and wives also go through many of the same symptoms only adds to the risk of having troubles within the marriage that can lead to divorce.
One woman, whose husband is in the military, said she sees how it can be tough. For example, if there are children, one parent has to play both roles of mom and dad when there is a deployment, only to have that entire routine and structure disrupted once again when the military spouse returns home.
Sometimes these extended periods of separation can also put a great deal of stress on a couple and make it hard for them to reconnect. Many times the pressure simply becomes too much and leads to divorce.
However, just like how a military marriage can include many stressors foreign to a civilian marriage, a military divorce can also include aspects that are quite different than a civilian divorce.
Among many aspect of military divorce, there could be issues surrounding child custody if one or both parents have the chance of deployment. Additionally, there may be issues surrounding military pensions and property division. This is why it’s important to talk with an attorney who has experience handling both civilian and military divorce to make sure that a settlement is fair to both spouses.
Source: KTAR, “Study: Military spouses suffer PTS symptoms,” Jim Cross, July 9, 2012
