Deployment and Families

Deployment and Families

"If a man has recently married, he must not be sent to war of have any other duty laid on him. For one year he is to be free to stay at home and bring happiness to the wife he has married." Deuteronomy 24:5

"The sight of suitcases bothers me a lot, even now. I remember my father's green bags, all packed and ready to go...."
Military Brats: Legacies of Childhood inside the Fortress
by Wertsch, ME (1991) Harmony Books, New York

By the 1980's over half of all service members were married
"The military family has an impact on the state of readiness of our armed forces , and this is not indirect, but rather a direct influence."
ADM Lando Vech

Spouse attitudes and functioning are related to officers' job performance and reenlistment decisions, servicemen's job satisfaction.
Military separation linked to spouse loneliness, depression, anxiety, anger, physical illness.

Sea duty linked to servicemen's anxiety, guilt, and depression.

Hill, R. (1949) Families under stress. New York: Harper and Row

ABCX family crisis model:
Stressful event= A
in interaction with:
Adaptational resources= B
Perception or definition of the event= C
Results in:
Intensity and characteristics of the family's crisis response= X


1992 DOD survey of 97,000 active duty (60,000 respondents):

69% had spouse or dependent 76.5% of those with spouse or dependent reported a separation within the past year: 27.3 % reported a separation of 1-2 months 26.1% reported a separation of 3-6 months 16.2 % reported a separation of 7-12 months Navy E1-E4: average separation was 4.9 months AF E1-E4: average separation 1.7 months

Highest risk of separation from family members: Navy E1-E4 male single parent

Among single parents 39% of females had no deployment 19% of males had no deployment


Primary concerns: Family safety in event of war- 31% M>F Family safety in community- 31% M>F Children's health and well-being- 29% F>M Money to pay bills- 27% F>M Car or household repairs- 23% M>F

Greatest worries: enlisted>officers E5-6 highest worry Navy and Marines > Army and AF junior ranks>senior ranks

Wills- 46% had wills 15% of Navy E1-E4's AF officers less likely than other services
POA's- 36% had POA's AF officers less likely than other services
Family Care Plans- 39% of those required had FCP's

Confidence in child care arrangements- 72% had confidence for short term emergency 69% for long term Lowest confidence among E1-E4 Marines Navy

Satisfaction with Child Care during Recent Separation and Deployment 78% decreased with lower rank

Types of Individual and Family Problems that Delayed the Military Member's Ability to Respond to Recall/Alert (during the past year) 60% reported no problems: 34% of those alerted reported at least one problem: 37% Dependent care enlisted(esp. E5-6) > officers females > males (>2:1) 26% Difficult to reach by Telephone esp. E1-E4 25% Transportation arrangements esp. E1-E4 21% Distance to duty station 19% Attending school


Stress and coping Among Army wives During Operation Desert Shield and Desert Storm
Rosen LN, Westhuis DJ, Teitelbaum JM
Dept. of Military Psychiatry, WRAMC

Spouses with difficulty coping: tended to be younger, though age was not a good predictor soldier's rank was generally lower, though a weak factor employed Many junior enlisted spouses moved to be with family

Prior studies: Largest support comes from family, neighbors, friends

Spouse Support During Peacekeeping Missions: Lessons Learned from Operation Restore Hope
Bell, DB US Army Research Institute 1993 10th Mountain Division (Ft. Drum)(surveyed summer of 1993) ORH vs. ODS/S reported greater support and greater satisfaction with formal support services just as likely to have to say multiple goodbyes (stressful) fewer problems with : finances chores employment health care of family loneliness stress of reunion

ORH Deployed Spouse vs. Non deployed spouse greater use of on-post support services greater use of informal support no difference in marital satisfaction or support of soldier's career

Junior enlisted spouses: most stress less satisfaction with formal support fewer family strengths higher stress during reunion


The Effects of Deployment on Navy Personnel and their Spouses,
Archer RP, Cauthorne CV: Questionnaires returned by to 399 (of 800) Navy personnel, 53.8% were married (215 Spouses returned questionnaire) 16% officers, 84% enlisted; Married personnel- less enjoyment but less emotional distress during deployment

Reasons deployment is stressful: originates external to the family unit; directly impacts all family members variable duration unpredictability of onset and duration beyond family member control uncertain risk= uncertain future alterations in family authority structure and independence

Predictors of poor family response to deployment: family dysfunction poor emotional expressiveness conflict emphasis on rigid, authoritarian control poor coping skills fewer resources individual service member: attitude perception of job performance overall stress in past year

Nelson J, Hagedorn, ME: Rhythms of War: Activation Experiences during the Persian Gulf War, Military Medicine, Vol. 162, pp 233-239 April 1997
Interviews of 59 reservists, mostly aeromedical evac personnel

Family support systems: helpful provided some financial support varying expectations (incl. babysitting, fixing the car) Problems: lack of knowledge of resources often geographically distant lack of info for families lack of family education during mobilization not enough trained people

"...fragmentation of unit personnel led to personal and professional unpreparedness and added stress." staying connected with other unit members was important

financial difficulties were pervasive included problems with delay in activation of military pay and benefits emotional fluctuations while awaiting "the call"

family unpreparedness "They did not prepare their families or spouses [for their] going to war. People didn't know how to do checking accounts, change tires... the military needs to learn to teach military members to teach their families... to keep them more involved. Many of them left their spouses hanging out in the breeze." "...relationships within the family support network needed to form prior to activation, mobilization, and deployment of military personnel." new relationships were effective, but did not persist after redeployment

Technology compulsion for instantaneous news phenomenon of watching the news as it happened to you.

Children: fear of death of parent disciplinary problems if the source of discipline deployed teasing and harassment by peers loneliness difficulties enhanced by lack of a parent to confide in or fear of upsetting the parent at home acting out "No matter how well you think you prepare children, you are never sure how much they understand."

Transmission of formal information about deployed service members was felt to be inadequate, and informal networks developed. especially problematic if personnel are put into another unit, e.g. activated reservists, PROFIS fillers, etc.,

Reassimilation surprisingly difficult quick return hasty out processing families have new roles and skills