Baptist, Joyce A.Amanor-Boadu, YvonneGarrett, KevinNelson Goff, Briana S.Collum, JonathanGamble, PauliciaGurss, HollySanders-Hahs, Erin M.Strader, LizetteWick, Stephanie2012-07-022012-07-022012-07-02http://hdl.handle.net/2097/13973An examination of how members of military marriages were affected by and adapted to OIF/OEF deployment found three themes: communicating to stay connected, emotional and marital intimacy, and managing change. The findings demonstrate the nuanced and subtle nature of deployment-related challenges. While open and frequent communication was important in the adaptation process, communication was not synonymous with transparency. Unshared stories created a void that prevented couples from confiding in and supporting their partners. Although wives maintained their marriages by restraining sexual desires and over-extending their responsibilities post-deployment, these behaviors had a negative effect on marital quality. Clinical and research implications are discussed.The final publication is available at www.springerlink.com.Operation Iraqi FreedomOperation Enduring FreedomQualitative studyDeployment stressMilitary marriagesArticle (author version)