Guard and Reserve Military Families

¶ … guard and reserve military families face during and after deployment and an assessment of the effectiveness of resources provided

The present study will contain a literature review in Chapter Two which will provide the information sought after in this study. Chapter Three will provide information on the methodology of the present study while Chapter Four will relate the findings of the study. Finally, Chapter Five will draw conclusions and make recommendations. Service members and their spouse and other family members are impacted by specific factors that either negatively or positively impacts their experiences with deployment and which ultimately impact retention rates of service members in the U.S. armed forces. However, the factors that serve to impact these individuals have not been examined thoroughly and neither have the resources most utilized by these individuals been properly examined through study. It is critically important that information relating to service members and their families be disseminated specifically in the areas of factors impacting these individual's experiences with deployment and the resources utilized by service members and their families during deployment. Findings in this study conclude that while service members and their families are impacted by deployment that use of resources in the community, resources provided by the military, and resources in the form of family and organizational resources serves to lessen the impact of deployment on the family of service members and ultimately for the service members as well enabling them to better perform while on active duty. Arising from this study is a recommendation that the military conduct further study in order to identify the resources which are available to service members and their families during deployment of the service member to active duty.

AN EXAMINATION of the ISSUES GUARD and RESERVE MILITARY FAMILIES FACE DURING and AFTER DEPLOYMENT and an ASSESSMENT of the EFFECTIVENESS of RESOURCES PROVIDED

March 20, 2010

AN EXAMINATION of the ISSUES GUARD and RESERVE MILITARY FAMILIES FACE DURING and AFTER DEPLOYMENT and an ASSESSMENT of the EFFECTIVENESS of RESOURCES PROVIDED

CHAPTER ONE

Introduction

There are three stages of deployment through which a family goes when the service member leaves and these stages are stated to last "through the first month of the actual deployment. The first stage begins at the time that the family is notified that the service member will be deploying known as the pre-deployment stage which can last a few months or may be as little as 24 hours. The second stage involves grief and mourning "as the positive mindset leaves and reality sinks in. Depression becomes more typical and may last for weeks, while others feel a sense of relief, which can lead to guilt, as they move through stages of the process." (Cobb, 2009) During this time families are working in establishing new ways to communicate with one another and new routines causing them to feel overwhelmed as they attempt to support one another and provide comfort to one another. During this time, children of the family are in the most need of "a sense of security and predictability in their lives." (Cobb, 2009) the third stage referred to as sustainment "comes when a family finally accepts the deployment, becomes more positive and accustomed to the absence and establishes a new family routine." (Cobb, 2009) the fourth stage is stated to be inclusive of many different factors and is a stage in which the level of communication has a significant impact on the "intensity of emotions during the final parts of separation." (Cobb, 2009) the fifth stage is stated to be the final stage known as post-deployment and reunion" and is a stage characterized by unpredictability and a plethora of emotional reactions. Stated as normal stressors for the military family are:

(1) frequent moves around the country or world;

(2) frequent periods of separation due to deployments;

(3) knowledge of potential danger when family members enter hostile environments;

(4) low pay;

(5) geographic isolation; and (6) a statistically proven high incidence of young children in the home. (Cobb, 2009)

Normal stressors for the military family can include "…frequent moves around the country or world, frequent periods of separation due to deployments, knowledge of potential danger when family members enter hostile environments, low pay, geographic isolation, and a statistically proven high incidence of young children in the home for many families, these stressors could be handled easily; however, military families must often deal with more than one of these stressors at a time. (Cobb, 2009)

It is reported that it is quite common "for the family of a service member to act as a support system and seem strong in the face of adversity for the sake of the loved one. Family members often feel pressure to adapt and respond in ways that support the service member so that he or she will not fail to perform job requirements, experience low morale, or leave the military prior to completion of one's term. However, once there is a change in a situation, be it location, communication, or any other number of possibilities, it becomes more difficult for the family to keep up their act of strength. Children are often aware of the possibility of losing a parent due to injury or death, and they are constantly reminded of this fact through media coverage. All of these stressors combined lead to a heightened state of uncertainty and a lack of predictability and routine needed by so many." (Cobb, 2009) Also reported to be stressors during deployment of a service member are the following:

(1) mobility;

(2) transcultural experiences;

(3) frequent parental absence;

(4) changing family roles; and (5) Lack of structure and routine. (Cobb, 2009)

In fact, studies have shown "periods of heightened stress and impaired functioning during times of parental deployment." (Cobb, 2009) it is reported as well that while children of active duty soldiers are more accustomed to the changes associated with deployment including frequent absences the children of reservists are "not always as accustomed to the changes and have a harder time coping. Children who are not accustomed to such changes often lose their sense of security without daily involvement and support from their parent." (Cobb, 2009) Research has shown that deployment of a family member and the associated changes can "…negatively influence a child's emotions, academics, and behaviors. The ability to adjust to the drastic changes that come from deployment tends to depend on the length of the deployment, the type of deployment, and the ability of the remaining parent to cope with the situation." (Cobb, 2009)

Background and Organization of Study

The present study will contain a literature review in Chapter Two which will provide the information sought after in this study. Chapter Three will provide information on the methodology of the present study while Chapter Four will relate the findings of the study. Finally, Chapter Five will draw conclusions and make recommendations.

Statement of Problem

Service members and their spouse and other family members are impacted by specific factors that either negatively or positively impacts their experiences with deployment and which ultimately impact retention rates of service members in the U.S. armed forces. However, the factors that serve to impact these individuals have not been examined thoroughly and neither have the resources most utilized by these individuals been properly examined through study.

Significance of the Study

It is critically important that information relating to service members and their families be disseminated specifically in the areas of factors impacting these individuals' experiences with deployment and the resources utilized by service members and their families during deployment.

Assumptions & Limitations

The limitations of this study include limitations due to time restrictions. Assumptions of this study include the assumption that the information reviewed in this study is material synthesized from other studies that is properly researched and reported in other various studies.

CHAPTER TWO

Literature Review

Since the first Gulf War, it is reported that the Department of Defense has "increasingly used the National Guard and Reserves. This reliance, which includes more frequent activation and overseas deployments, may put enormous strain on reserve component (RC) families. Existing research on how deployments affect military families has focused almost exclusively on the active component (AC). But demographic differences between AC and RC families suggest that the latter may face different issues during deployment and, thus, require different support. Further, because RC families are more geographically dispersed, many are distant from military family resources." (Rand National Defense Research Institute, 2009)

The Rand study examined RCD family's experiences during activation and deployment as well as studying their use of family support resources and conducted an assessment of "how their experiences may influence retention intentions." (Rand National Defense Research Institute, 2009) the stated focus of this study was on the families of enlisted personnel and officers serving in the Army Reserve, and Marine Forces Reserve." (Rand National Defense Research Institute, 2009) This study is stated to feature interviews conducted with spouses of service members and service members from 653 families that have experienced at least one overseas deployment since September 2001." (Rand National Defense Research Institute, 2009)

It is reported by Rand National Defense Research Institute that when service members and their spouses were polled for the purpose of making an assessment of the readiness of the family for the most recent deployment. Findings state as follows:

65% of service members and 60% of spouses indicated (Rand National Defense Research Institute, 2009)

The way that family readiness was defined is stated to however vary and that there are three specific readiness categories were cited including:

(1) financial readiness;

(2) readiness related to household responsibilities; and (3) Emotional or mental readiness. (Rand National Defense Research Institute, 2009)

It is critically important that knowledge be gained concerning how families prepare for deployment of the service member. It was found in the study conducted by Rand National Defense Research Institute that "…like readiness, coping meant different things to different families." (2009)

Those who had no defined representation of coping totaled 37% of service members and 29% of spouses…Those who did offer a definition tended to discuss coping in terms of dealing with emotions or handling household responsibilities." (Rand National Defense Research Institute, 2009)

Those who claimed that their family coped 'well' or 'very well' is stated as follows:

Percent of Service Members

63%

Percent of spouses

62%

(Rand National Defense Research Institute, 2009)

Problems that were found to stem from deployment included various types of "…deployment-related challenge[s]." (Rand National Defense Research Institute, 2009) in fact, these types of problems and families were "varied a great deal." (Rand National Defense Research Institute, 2009)

Mentioned most frequently were the following:

Emotional or mental problems

Spouses

39%

Service members

26%

(Rand National Defense Research Institute, 2009)

Problems with household responsibilities

Spouses

40%

Service members

20%

(Rand National Defense Research Institute, 2009)

There was reported to be a great range of mental and emotional problems stated to range in severity "from relatively mild sadness and anxiety to more severe emotional or mental difficulties requiring medical attention." (Rand National Defense Research Institute, 2009)

Younger spouses were more likely to report this specific problem than were older couples with well-established marriages and the older couples additionally were more likely to discuss matters of the household. Other issues were stated to be related to such as employment issues and issues concerning children of the marriage. Rand reports that while 29% of service members claimed that there were no family problems related to deployment the number spouses making the same claim was on l4% of respondents. (Rand National Defense Research Institute, 2009, paraphrased)

It is additionally reported that most families reported that there were positive aspects of deployment including the following:

Increased family closeness (spouses=29%, service members=20%)

A combination of patriotism, pride, and civic responsibility (spouses=24%, service members=15%) (Rand National Defense Research Institute, 2009)

Those stating there were financial benefits to deployment recently were as follows:

Service members

26%

Spouses

20%

(Rand National Defense Research Institute, 2009)

Resource types utilized by most families during recent deployment include those as follows according to the Rand report:

(1) TRICARE; and (2) Family support organizations.

(Rand National Defense Research Institute, 2009)

Informal resources are stated to have included those as follows:

(1) extended family;

(2) religious organizations;

(3) Friends and neighbors. (Rand National Defense Research Institute, 2009)

The study reported by Rand found that family readiness and family coping both impacted the retention of service members and service member effectiveness and specifically stated is that "those who described their family as ready or very ready for the deployment and those who believed their family coped well or very well tended to have a preference for staying. The same was true for those who mentioned one of the major positive aspects of deployment:

(1) financial gain,

(2) increased family closeness, or patriotism and (3) Pride. (Rand National Defense Research Institute, 2009)

Of those who cited problems as having a negative impact on retention the problems connected to "emotional or mental health, employment, education, marital issues, or health care all were more likely to express a preference for leaving." (Rand National Defense Research Institute, 2009)

The work of Castaneda, et al. (2008) entitled: "Deployment Experiences of Guard and Reserve Families" (2008) addressed several questions relating to the deployment experiences of members of the U.S. National Guard and their families, the first of which asks "How ready are guard and reserve families?" Stated in relation to this question is that family readiness is "regarded as a critical aspect of preparedness for a service member's active duty service. DoD has stated that "The Department's ability to assist service members and their families to prepare for separations during short- and long-term deployments is paramount to sustaining mission capabilities and mission readiness" (Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Reserve Affairs, no date)." (Castaneda, et al., (2008) it is stated that family readiness varies in its definition and measures and that "some surveys of reserve component service members overlook this subject entirely." (Castaneda, et al., 2008) the research of Castaneda et al. is of the nature that conducted an assessment of the meaning of family readiness from both the view of the service members and their spouses. It is stated that there are three types or components of family readiness that were cited by 2/5 of participants in the interviews conducted and reported by Castaneda, et al. (2008) and that those components were:

(1) financial readiness,

(2) readiness related to household responsibilities,

(3) and emotional or mental readiness. (Castaneda, et al., 2008)

Other resources that were less frequently mentioned were those as follows:

(1) legal matters;

(2) military resources; and (3) getting support system in place. (Castaneda, et al., 2008)

Financial readiness is stated to include various financial tasks as follows:

(1) saving money in anticipation of a break in pay or in case of emergency;

(2) notification of creditors; and (3) short- and long-term financial planning. (Castaneda, et al., 2008)

Readiness in regards to household responsibilities is stated to include:

(1) preparing to handle household responsibilities normally taken care of by the service member;

(2) making arrangements related to children. (Castaneda, et al., 2008)

Castaneda states that among those in the study who made provision of a definition of readiness "this kind of readiness was mentioned by comparable percentages of service members and spouses: 50% and 48%, respectively" (Castaneda, et al., 2008) Castaneda relates that in regards to emotional or mental readiness was inclusive of "…a number of references to "being mentally ready" or having enough time for all family members to "deal with" the fact that the service member will be separated from his or her family for a potentially considerable length of time." (Castaneda, et al., 200) Castaneda states that 65% of the service members and 60% of the spouses in the study indicated that their family was ready or very ready and approximately 1/6 of both service members and spouses were stated to have "characterized their family as somewhat ready with approximately 1/6 of both groups characterizing their family as not ready at all." (Castaneda, et al., 200)

Further analyses is stated to have shown which specific spouse and service member characteristics assisted in accounting for differences in family readiness levels reported and to have further demonstrated "a strong interrelationship between family readiness and military preparedness." (Castaneda, et al., 200) Specifically stated are findings that "…service members who said they were well prepared for active duty tended to characterize their family as ready or very ready, while those who believed they were poorly prepared for active duty tended to feel their family was not ready at all." Castaneda states however, that the study was not able to determine "…whether one type of readiness affected the other, or if a third factor, such as an underlying personal attribute, influenced both family readiness and military preparedness." (Castaneda, et al., 2008)

The second question addressed by Castaneda, et al. (2008) asks "What problems do guard and reserve families report?" Stated is that when experts on reserve component family issues about problems that they believed was confronted by reserve families, it was agreed upon by the majority of these experts that were experienced by both guard and reserve families were those as follows:

(1) financial problems,

(2) health care issues,

(3) emotional or mental problems, and (4) household responsibility issues. (Castaneda, et al., 2008)

Castaneda et al. states that they were on the hearing end of these problems by both service members and spouses during interviews but however, "to varying degrees." (2008) Most frequently mentioned was emotional or mental problems in 39% of spouses and 26% of service members. (Castaneda, et al., 2008, paraphrased)

The demands of family life included those as follows:

(1) difficulties with child care;

(2) difficulties with household chores; and (3) difficulties related to chauffeuring children. (Castaneda, et al., 2008)

Children's issues were mentioned by 12% of service members and 26% of spouses and are stated to have included "…a range of emotional or mental problems as well as other sacrifices or difficulties experienced by children of deployed service members." (Castaneda, et al., 2008) Stated as other problems that were noted and discussed included education, employment and marital strife. In addition it is stated that 29% of service members reported that their family had experienced no problems related to deployment.

The third question asked in the study of Castaneda, et al. (2008) asks "What positives do guard and reserve families report?" And stated is that the majority of guard and reserve families do experience some positives as a result of activation and deployment. Twenty percent of service members and 29% of spouses noted an increase in family closeness due to the experience of deployment. In addition, 26% of service members and 20% of spouses mentioned gains in the area of their finances due to deployment and an increased independence, confidence and resilience were noted by spouses and families at home due to the experience of deployment.

The question of "How well do guard and reserve families cope?" was addressed and just as in the 2008 Rand study of military members and their families during deployment there was a lack of a definition of what coping precisely meant for service members and their families.

Also addressed were the resources that guard and reserve families use during deployment and why families may not be accessing resources. Interviews included questions concerning the military resources and the informal, nonmilitary resources that families used." (Castaneda, et al., 2008) Findings are stated to indicate that the majority of the guard and reserve families interviewed used some type of resource during their most recent deployment experience" and that these resources utilized included those of:

(1) TRICARE; and (2) Family support organizations. (Castaneda, et al., 2008)

Castaneda et al. (2008) asked the question of how guard and reserve families' retention plans differ? And stated that the research conducted was inclusive of the analysis of "the service member's intent to remain in the reserve component until retirement eligibility and the spouse's opinion toward his military career.

Forty-one percent of spouses and 42% of service members are stated to have indicated plans to leave prior to retirement eligibility. Thirty-eight percent of service members said their most recent activation had no influence on their career plans, while comparable percentages of service members indicated it either increased their desire to stay or increased their desire to leave (30% and 32%, respectively)." (Castaneda, et al., 2008)

Castaneda et al. (2008) states that Fifty-eight percent of spouses interviewed favored their service member staying in the Guard or Reserve whereas significantly fewer service members -- 35% -- believed that their spouse favored their staying." Problems that were cited in regards to retention were those of emotional and mental issues, issues with employment, education, marital issues and health care issues and it is stated that all of these problems were related to a preference on the part of service members and their families for leaving the service.

The work of Pisano (2008) entitled: "Military Deployment: How School Psychologists Can Help?" states that there are approximately 70,000 children who have at least one of their parents in the U.S. National Guard or Reserve and these children, in civilian schools are experiencing the first deployment of their parent and "feeling very alone and scared." (Pisano, 2008)

Military deployments are stated to have become more frequent for service members serving in the National Guard and guard reserves and this is having an impact on the functioning of the service members and their families and the reintegration of these individuals into civilian life. (Pisano, 2008, paraphrased) There are stated to be approximately 456,000 National Guard soldiers and 400,000 reserve soldiers. There are 205 National Guard posts across America with North Dakota being the only state without one. Every other state in the U.S. has at least one post but some have as many as 12." (Pisano, 2008) in the situations where children of deployment service members do not have access to a large National Guard Post installation, these children are significantly and negatively impacted emotionally when a parent or parent deploys "…because of the lack of access to base support networks. This is increasingly common in the war on terrorism with the important role played by the National Guard and Reserve whose families frequently do not live near military bases." (Pisano, 2008) Pisano states that it has been indicated by some families that when the service member is preparing for deployment that the individual "appears already 'psychologically deployed' and the spouse feels as though 'all of this would be easier if he/she just went ahead and left." (Pisano, 2008)

Pisano notes that the school counselor is a valuable yet underutilized resource during times of deployment in assisting the service member's children cope with the deployment and the associated stress of the parent's deployment. Pisano offers excellent advice concerning methods that can be utilized in coping with the service member's deployment and the emphasis of the work written by Pisano is that school counselors offer a valuable resource for parents and children in coping with the deployment of one of the child's parents. Pisano states specifically that the school counselor can assist the family by "…explaining the dynamics of the homecoming. In preparation for the return and reunion of the service member, school psychologists should advise families that spouses and children need to talk about realistic plans and expectations. Involve the children in planning for the homecoming and encourage them to express their feelings about it. Parents should accept the child's feelings and have the returning parent talk with the child about things the child is interested in (storybooks, etc.). Be sure to encourage parents to talk with their children about what is going on in their lives as well as what they have been through. Remind parents to reassure their children that they are needed and that we are all happy to have the family safely together again." (Pisano, 2008)

The work of Cobb (2009) entitled: "Military Deployment: Effects on Families and Children and Implications for Teachers" reports that over the last twenty years, approximately three-fourths of active service members and reserve members have children at home, with over 2.5 million being under the age of 18. Roughly half of those children range in age from zero to 5 and more specifically roughly 500,000 under the age of three." (Cobb, 2009) With more than 350,000 of service members deployed at any given time and the number of children affected by the absence of parents being at such a high rate, it is stated to be "understandable why research shows the usefulness of gaining a better understanding of the military way of life, deployment, its effects on family and children and implications for educators." (Cobb, 2009) This work in writing expresses the importance that teachers be knowledgeable concerning the deployment of a child's parent.

CHAPTER THREE

Methodology

The methodology of the present study has been one of a qualitative nature which has been conducted through a review of literature in this area of study which serves to inform authorities and government military management of the gaps in the resources provided to assist family members in coping with the deployment of a spouse and/or parent.

Research Design

The research design in this brief study has been one of a phenomenological nature which involves a review of studies already conducted and reported in this area of study. Phenomenological studies are defined as the study of "structure of experience, or consciousness" and is the study of 'phenomena' literally as to things as they are experienced and the meanings things have in the experiences of the individual. Phenomenology is the philosophical study tradition first posited by Edmund Husserl, Jean-Paul Sartre, et al., among others.