Study of perceived stress, social anxiety and loneliness among newlywed military wives at boot camp: a comparative study

Wives of serving soldiers cope with numerous stressors. This study sought to shed some light on this area. The present study examines the level of perceived stress, loneliness and social anxiety among newlywed military wives at boot camp. Thirty newlywed wives of non-commissioned military personnel and thirty civilian wives were selected as participants. Data was collected by administrating Perceived Stress Scale (PSS-10), The Social Interaction Anxiety Scale, University of California Log Angeles loneliness Scale (Version 3) and analysed through mean, t-test and correlation was computed. Result has shown that perceived stress and loneliness were significantly high in newlywed military wives as compared to civilian counterpart. It has been also observed that perceived stress strongly correlated (r=0.69) with loneliness among military wives but not in civilian wives. These results has shown newlywed military wives faced hardship due to transition from civilian to military life. There is a need to understand and address the psychosocial issues of newlywed wives. The study also suggests some measures to reduce perceived stress and loneliness among military wives.