Family reintegration of reserve service members following a wartime deployment: A qualitative exploration of wives' experience.

摘要

The purpose of this study was to illuminate the experiences of wives of reserve service members throughout the wartime deployment cycle, particularly following reunification. Considerable literature examines veterans' experience, with little focus on soldiers' families during the months and years post-deployment. Moreover, most studies of military families utilize active-duty participant pools, under-addressing the divergent experiences of reservist troops' families, who often live far from military communities. This leaves a gap in clinical understanding of the long term effects of wartime deployment on the families of reserve service members.;The present study, therefore, explores how 8 wives of Army Reserve and Army National Guard service members experienced the effects of their husbands' wartime deployment and reintegration in the months and years following return. Semi-structured qualitative interviews were utilized in order to capture the intricacies of the spousal experience throughout the deployment cycle.;The findings of this study indicated that more formal supports are needed for families of reserve troops both during the deployment and following the service members' return. All of the women in the present study reported experiencing inadequate understanding from the civilian community and isolation from the military community. Efforts were made on the part of both partners to withhold important information during the deployment in an attempt to avoid worrying or burdening one another.;Many participants, especially those married to veterans formally diagnosed with PTSD, reported that the reintegration period was at least as challenging as deployment. The rate of PTSD among participants' husbands matched national reported rates. The majority of spouses reported some degree of difficulty in re-negotiating family roles and household responsibilities; many women reported ambivalence around giving up responsibilities associated with increased independence. Several participants described the challenges their husbands faced in re-adopting a parenting role upon return; this was especially true for the women married to veterans diagnosed with PTSD. Significant challenges regarding civilian employment and financial stability were discussed. Most participants identified areas of growth and increased appreciation resulting from the deployment cycle. A critique of the methods was presented, as were implications for clinical work and suggestions for future research.