Exploring Reactions of Stakeholders to Military-Connected Spouse Abuse Disclosure: An Online Observational Approach

Abstract

Although considerable research explores family violence within the United States Military, few peer-reviewed studies investigate the experience of civilian spouse survivors. This project seeks to close the research gap by answering the question, “How do military stakeholders respond to disclosure of Military-Connected Spouse Abuse (MCSA) made on YouTube?” Videos featuring MSCA narratives were selected from a series of YouTube searches. Comments made to those videos by Service Members and military spouses were organized according to three predominate response types: disclosures, perceptions, and actions. Disclosures included personal experience with or second-hand knowledge of spousal abuse, interactions with the military response system, and information about military rigor. Service Members and spouses perceived the Military as perpetuating family violence and not responding to it effectively, though some commented positively on the Family Advocacy Program (FAP). Service Members and spouses took action by expressing emotion or addressing violence survivors directly. The project suggested that military culture plays a significant role in the experience of MCSA and help-seeking. Official helping mechanisms were distrusted by both Service Members and spouses, to include those who did not endorse a history of abuse. FAP services were characterized both positively and negatively. More research is necessary to determine best practices to help survivors of MCSA. The project is undergirded by the conceptual framework of intersectionality.