Nearly a third of reservist couples mulled splitting due to war strains, survey finds

Half of the spouses of reserve soldiers say their marital relationship was damaged as a result of their military service and 30 percent say they considered separation or divorce, the Central Bureau of Statistics says in its first report on the impact of reserve duty service on families since the outbreak of the war in Gaza nearly two years ago.

Of those married to reservists who served 50 days or fewer, only 36% reported harm to their relationship, the bureau says. That figure spiked to 57% for spouses of those who served 250 to 350 days.

The survey finds that 52% of the spouses reported a negative change in their children’s mental state following reserve service. For those whose spouses served 200-250 days, 63% reported a negative change in their children’s mental state.

Following reserve duty, 61% of the spouses of reserve soldiers say that they needed some kind of assistance. Of these, 55% needed psychological or emotional assistance, and 38% needed financial assistance. Spouses were more likely to seek psychological help the longer their partner served for.

According to the survey, 35% of the couples sought counseling once the reserve service was complete.