Struggling Days and Sleepless Nights: Latest Research Examines the Resilience of Military Spouses
A comprehensive survey conducted between September 2024 and January 2025, known as the Military and Veteran Spouse Wellness Survey, has shed light on the wellness needs of military spouses. The survey, carried out by researchers from The University of Texas at Austin's Institute for Military and Veteran Family Wellness (IMVFW), and InDependent, received 1,150 complete responses.
The survey employed a holistic wellness framework, breaking wellness into eight related categories as defined by the U.S. government: emotional, physical, intellectual, social, occupational, financial, spiritual, and environmental.
The findings highlight several areas of concern, including high rates of depression and anxiety, sub-threshold clinical insomnia, and social isolation. For instance, more than half of respondents experienced some level of anxiety or depression, and 62 percent indicated sub-threshold clinical insomnia. Almost a quarter of respondents (24 percent) reported accessing mental health care for themselves as a challenge.
However, many respondents demonstrated resilience and positive behaviors, such as moderate-to-high engagement in intellectual and spiritual wellness practices and generally health-conscious nutrition habits.
Based on these findings, several specific policy recommendations emerge to improve the holistic wellness of military and veteran spouses across these eight wellness dimensions.
**Enhance Mental Health Support:** Given the high rates of depression and anxiety among military and veteran spouses, expanded mental health services are crucial. This includes accessible counseling, peer support groups, and community-based wellness programs to reduce isolation and loneliness.
**Improve Employment Opportunities and Career Support:** Spouses often settle for underemployment, earning roughly 25% less than their qualifications warrant. Policies should promote employment programs tailored to military spouses, including job placement services, career counseling, education and training opportunities, and recognition of military spouse credentials to facilitate better workforce integration and economic stability.
**Facilitate Access to Healthcare and Benefits:** Streamlining access to Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) healthcare services and benefits for spouses can ease transitions and improve physical and emotional wellness. This includes clear guidance and assistance in navigating healthcare systems and benefit programs.
**Support Social and Community Networks:** Given challenges in finding community and peer support, creating and funding local and virtual networks that foster social connections can strengthen social wellness and reduce feelings of isolation among military and veteran spouses.
**Address Financial Wellness through Education and Assistance:** Programs focused on financial literacy, budgeting support, and assistance navigating financial benefits can alleviate financial stress, a significant contributor to holistic wellness challenges.
**Promote Environmental and Living Condition Improvements:** Policies should consider the quality of housing and neighborhood environments, ensuring stable and supportive living conditions for military families through housing assistance programs and community development initiatives.
**Encourage Intellectual and Spiritual Wellness:** Offering access to educational resources, lifelong learning opportunities, and spiritual support services can round out the wellness framework by supporting intellectual growth and spiritual well-being.
**Cross-sector Collaboration for Holistic Support:** Collaboration among the Department of Defense, VA, nonprofits, and community organizations is essential for coordinated programming. This includes data sharing, resource alignment, and joint initiatives aimed at the comprehensive wellness of military and veteran spouses.
These recommendations stem from the survey's holistic approach, which uniquely assesses wellness beyond the absence of illness, acknowledging the complex, interconnected needs of military and veteran spouses as they navigate unique challenges.
The survey's findings and recommendations have been presented at national events and in recent reports focusing on data-driven support frameworks for military families. The survey was released on June 27, 2025, and the authors hope to conduct future surveys every two years, if not annually.
[1] Military and Veteran Spouse Wellness Survey, June 2025. [2] National Military Family Association, State of Military Families 2025 Report. [3] Department of Defense, Report on Military Spouse Employment and Unemployment, 2024.
- To combat the high rates of depression and anxiety among space force and air force spouses, expanded mental health services are essential, including accessible counseling, peer support groups, and community-based wellness programs to reduce isolation and loneliness.
- Given the sub-threshold clinical insomnia among space and military spouses, promoting good sleep hygiene and sleep-related education as a part of health-and-wellness programs can be beneficial.
- Balanced fitness-and-exercise, intellectual engagement, and spiritual practices can contribute to the overall wellness of space, military, and veteran spouses, as demonstrated by the survey's findings.
- nutritional education and assistance programs can help alleviate some mental health challenges by addressing holistic wellness and promoting overall health consciousness among space and military families.
- Collaboration among the Department of Defense, Department of Veterans Affairs, space force, air force, nonprofits, and community organizations is crucial for creating comprehensive, data-driven support frameworks that address the complex, interconnected needs of space, military, and veteran families.
