Longitudinal associations between service member problematic anger and marital dysfunction in U.S. military couples: Findings from the Millennium Cohort Program

ABSTRACT Problematic anger is prevalent among service members and is associated with numerous dysfunctional outcomes. Research is needed to determine whether service member problematic anger has a unique, long-term impact on marital functioning. This study examined problematic anger and its longitudinal associations with marital dysfunction outcomes among 3,456 U.S. service member–spouse dyads enrolled in the Millennium Cohort Program. Service members completed a self-report measure of problematic anger at Time 1 (2014–2016); spouses completed self-report assessments of intimate partner violence (IPV), marital quality, marital dissolution, relationship trust, and parenting alliance at Time 2 (2019–2021). Logistic regressions were conducted to examine associations between service member problematic anger and marital dysfunction outcomes using hierarchical adjustment for categories of covariates. Service member problematic anger was associated with IPV experience, low martial quality, marital dissolution, and low relationship trust among spouses after adjusting for demographic characteristics and military contextual variables. However, after adjusting for mental health variables, IPV was the only marital dysfunction outcome associated with service member problematic anger. The association between problematic anger and IPV remained after adjusting for adverse childhood experiences in the final model. Results suggest that mental health conditions, in general, may contribute to marital dysfunction in military couples, but problematic anger appears to be particularly crucial in predicting IPV. Screenings and targeted interventions for problematic anger among service members are needed. Such efforts may help to mitigate the downstream effects of problematic anger on marital dysfunction, thus improving service member readiness.