Effects of Deployment on National Guard and Reserve Families
This paper examines the effects of military deployments on National Guard and Reserve soldiers and their families following the post-9/11 increase in overseas operations. Drawing on medical record studies, pediatric research, and interviews with affected families, the paper addresses mental health diagnoses among spouses — including elevated rates of depression, sleep disorders, and drug use — as well as the academic and emotional difficulties experienced by children during and after a parent's deployment. The paper also evaluates the adequacy of military support programs and highlights funding shortfalls specific to the National Guard, concluding that proactive planning and better-resourced family assistance are essential to mitigating the negative consequences of deployment.
- Introduction: Post-9/11 surge in reserve component deployments
- Mental Health Effects on Spouses: Diagnosis rates rise with deployment length
- Effects of Deployment on Families and Children: Children face anxiety, insomnia, and academic struggles
- Military Assistance for Spouses and Children: Support programs exist but National Guard underfunded
- Summary and Conclusion: Planning and resources needed to mitigate deployment harm
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What makes this paper effective
- The paper grounds its claims in concrete empirical data, citing specific confidence intervals and diagnosis rates per 1,000 women, which adds credibility to its argument about spousal mental health impacts.
- It balances quantitative evidence with a personal case study — the story of Mrs. [redacted] — giving the argument both statistical weight and human resonance.
- The inclusion of a subject-matter expert (Stacy Bannerman) and a practitioner perspective (National Guard Family Assistance Center) demonstrates use of multiple source types.
Key academic technique demonstrated
The paper effectively uses synthesis across multiple sources — academic studies, journalistic reports, and expert interviews — to build a cumulative argument. Rather than presenting each source in isolation, the author weaves them together to show convergent evidence: spouses suffer measurable mental health consequences, children face academic and emotional setbacks, and existing military support is underfunded relative to the scope of the problem.
Structure breakdown
The paper follows a straightforward problem-evidence-response structure. The introduction establishes the scale of post-9/11 reserve deployments. Two body sections then document harms at the individual (spouse) and family (children) levels. A third body section pivots to the institutional response, evaluating its adequacy. The conclusion synthesizes the paper's core finding: deployment impacts require deliberate planning and properly resourced support systems.
Introduction
The use of reserve components for support of overseas contingencies has increased significantly since September 11, 2001, and the U.S. invasion of Afghanistan and Iraq. This has resulted in a significant impact on members of the reserve forces and their families upon deployment to those regions. The Defense Science Task Force on Deployment of Members of the National Guard and Reserve in the Global War on Terrorism notes that while children's "behavioral responses and mental health status during noncombat or routine deployments relate to the level of concurrent family stressors and/or maternal psychopathology," far less is known about children from U.S. military families during a time of war, or about the impact on children and families of a parent's combat experience or the combat deployment itself.
References
Defense Science Task Force on Deployment of Members of the National Guard and Reserve in the Global War on Terrorism. (2007). Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition, Technology, and Logistics. Washington, DC.
Elliott, M. (2010, August 19). Q&A with Stacy Bannerman. PBS.
Gever, J. (n.d.). Extended military deployments to combat areas increase stress, anxiety and depression among families. MedPage Today.
Mansfield, A. J., et al. (2007). Deployment and the use of mental health services among U.S. military wives. All Military.
Rick, L. T. (2010, September 25). Deployment can strain families. Rapid City Journal.
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