A Fireside Chat: Attachment Theory and the Deployed Dyadic Dialogue

This study asserts that communication between a committed dyad during a combat separation can positively and negatively affect post-deployment functioning. Recent research has delineated two different forms of communication: interactive and delayed. Communication is conceptualized in the three phases of the deployment cycle. To address theoretical gaps in the literature, I posit that attachment theory is the best orientation to explain dyadic communication during deployment. Using linear mixed model, I applied the Actor Partner Interdependence Model (APIM) for distinguishable dyads to explain behavior in terms of attachment theory (anxiety and avoidance). After the statistical significance of the model was established, five dependent variables were added. The most important finding demonstrates that during deployment, the veteran’s secondary strategy was deactivation (avoidance), whereas the strategy employed by the stateside significant other was hyperactivation (anxiety). During the wartime separation, the dyad engaged in closed ranks communication and later found that shifting to open communication post-deployment was challenging. Additionally, other communication findings are discussed, along with their post-deployment consequences.