Family Reintegration of Reserve Service Members Following Wartime Deployment: A Qualitative Exploration of Wives’ Experience by Lisa R. Gorbaty

Setting the Stage  Operation Enduring Freedom (Afghanistan) began on October 7, 2001 and Operation Iraqi Freedom (Iraq) began on March 19, 2003  Of the 1,010,761 soldiers in the Army, 48% are active duty, 33% are National Guard and 19% are Reserve  At one point in 2005, over half of all troops deployed to Iraq were in the National Guard (Selsky, 2007)  According to the Department of Defense (2007), 75% of all reserve troops are parents

Purpose of the Present Study Reserve National Guard  Gain an in-depth understanding of the experience of spouses of Army Reserve and Army National Guard service members long term  To examine long term family reintegration processes (5 mos-4 years following return) families  To examine how wartime deployment cycles affect families (historically, reserve troops did not deploy to combat zones)

Structured Interview  Deployment  Reintegration (ST & LT)  Level of support  Transition to civilian work  Experience as civilian spouse with deployed husband  Physical & Mental Health  Marriage

Demographic Information  (n=8)  Caucasian, English speaking  Average age 40, range: years old  5 Protestant, 2 Catholic, 1 non-denominational Christian  5 National Guard, 3 Army Reserve  3 Officers (attend Officers Candidate School), 4 Non- commissioned Officers (an enlisted service member that has been granted authority by an Officer), 1 Warrant Officer (technical experts; rank considered between NCOs and Officers)  Lived miles from nearest military base  Husbands returned 5mo-4years earlier  Children, age range 3mo-27 years

Challenges for Reservist families  Participants had held no expectation that husband would deploy to war zone  Civilian employment status; financial concerns  Lack of camaraderie with other military families (i.e. husbands were cross-leveled, pulled from units across New England)  Lack of formal military and social support  Caught between civilian and military world  Increased comfort seeking support from other military wives or family with military experience  Lack of understanding from general public

Ambiguous Loss  Many participants reported that their husbands were “changed” men upon return  PTSD: damage to marital relationship, parental relationship; feelings of anger, resentment, isolation were reported Ambiguous Loss (Boss, 2007) Psychological presence, physical absence Physical presence, psychological absence  Ambivalence regarding gratitude for husbands’ service and resentment over changes

Concerns of Burdening Others  Participants reported that both partners withheld information during deployment in an effort to avoid burdening or worrying one another during deployment  Majority of wives believed husbands withheld extent of wartime experiences upon return  Wives’ ambivalence about gaining this information  Keeping “brave front” for children and general community

Social Support & FRGs  All participants felt supported to some degree, majority would have appreciated additional supports; all felt formal military supports were lacking  Commonly sought support from friends, family, neighbors, church; may be isolated in community (Bartone, 1999) so accessing support may be challenging  Problems with FRGs: location, times, “gossipy”, lacking in information

Shifts in Roles and Responsibilities  All participants reported shifts in household roles and responsibilities during deployment; five reported major changes; two participants unable to maintain employment  Particular problems for those married to veterans with PTSD (assuming all responsibilities for house, childcare, finances)  Half of all participants did not want to relinquish new roles they had adopted during deployment, particularly those associated with increased independence Lack of clarity may be disorienting for spouse, veteran, and children

Children’s Experience  Two families had children seeing MH professionals, another debating  Increased anger and resentment (25%), academic problems (25%), major behavioral problems (13%) How are these children’s issues understood by friends, teachers, etc.? (vignette)  Veteran difficulty assuming parenting role upon return as a result of PTSD  Veteran difficult assuming parenting role—left baby, returns to toddler

Effects of PTSD on Families  PTSD- 25% in present study, consistent with national reported average (DeAngelis, 2007)  All reported some degree of MH symptoms  Unable to effectively parent; worry about leaving child alone with veteran  Veteran not wanting to assume any responsibility  Rely on extended family for childcare  Constant attempts to predict mood of veteran  Contemplated divorce– “living with a stranger”  Lack of sexual intimacy

Vignette…  “During that first year, I was afraid to leave him home with her, because the two or three times that I did, he was either in the emergency room with her or he wasn’t paying attention and she fell down the stairs. I shouldn’t feel that way. And now she sees it. And she sees stuff and she is like, I don’t want daddy around…. When he is home with her, he will sit here and watch TV and won’t pay attention to her. And it is sad when she is in front of him and says “Daddy, hello?” I hate to compare him to other people, but I see all the other dads out there with their kids playing and he is in here watching TV… She knows more about what is going on than he does. She will tell him, “Daddy, I need to eat.” “Daddy, I need to go to bed.” It is a bad situation.”  Also hard for father who left when child was 6 mos, ret when she was 2

Needs Proposed by Participants  Spontaneously offered responses:  Increased social supports for both spouses and children during deployment  Family supports following return—especially for families of veterans with PTSD—general guidance around reintegration process  FRGs to continue after soldiers’ return  Psycho-education regarding signs and symptoms of PTSD for families and soldiers  Information about services available and how to access these services

Needs Proposed by Participants (cont’d)  Military assessing mental and physical health problems more appropriately Participants reported concern over assessing MH problems immediately upon return (stigma, excitement of reunion) Participants reported concern over assessing MH problems immediately upon return (stigma, excitement of reunion)  Employee Assistance Programs

Positive Outcomes  Majority of participants reported increased appreciation of family and new perspective on life  Personal growth  Growth as a couple  Closer as family unit  Improved communication Trauma can provide opportunity for growth and resiliency (Walsh, 2007)

Clinical Implications  More services for families (making FRGs more accessible by alternating times, locations, MH professionals available; support groups for families of veterans with PTSD)  Better screening for MH problems (mandated screenings at three month intervals; in person interview)  Psycho-education weekends for families (increase camaraderie; educate mental health issues)  Support groups for children; information dispersed to teachers, doctors in civilian community  Educating MH professionals to ask about military service in the family