Coping and quality of life of soldiers' wives following military operation

The aim of this study was to evaluate the relationships between coping strategies and four dimensions of quality of life (QOL) (physical, psychological, social relations and environment) among military wives. We examined these links six months after the military operation termed Protective Edge. Data were collected from 100 wives (mean age=30.56 SD=5.50) of soldiers who had participated in the military operation and who had been in the front lines. These women filled out self-reported questionnaires including demographics, Brief COPE and WHOQOL-BREF. Results showed that the most prevalent strategy was active coping. Women with no children reported better QOL. Some coping strategies were significantly different in consonance with religiosity and economic status. The demographics and coping scales explained 42%, 23%, 31%, and 28% of the variance of physical, psychological, social and environmental quality of life. The most salient explanatory variables were having children and the maladaptive coping scale. Both of these variables had a negative effect on all scales. The results are discussed based on the stress and coping theory of Lazarus and Folkman.