https://aub.ie/MilitaryREACH-SullivanEtAl2022

Sullivan, K. S., Dodge, J., Park, Y., Kale, C., Merrill, J. C., Clarke-Walper, K., Castro, C. A., & Riviere, L. A. (2022). Predictors of reintegration adjustment among female U.S. Army spouses: A preliminary exploration. Journal of Military, Veteran and Family Health, 8(3), 84-95. https://doi.org/10.3138/jmvfh-2021-0125

While the time required for Service members to successfully reintegrate into their family, community, and work roles following deployment varies, a reintegration period of 6 months or longer is considered “high risk.” Using data from military spouses (N = 333), this study examined how risk factors (e.g., Service members’ need for mental health treatment) and protective factors (e.g., spouses’ perceived social support, preparedness for reintegration) were related to the length of the reintegration process. Overall, Service members’ need for mental health treatment was negatively related to spouses’ preparedness for reintegration, and, in turn, these spouses generally reported a longer reintegration process.

https://doi.org/10.3138/jmvfh-2021-0125

Deployment
Mental health

Multiple branches

Active Duty

Spouse of service member or veteran
Military families

Adulthood (18 yrs & older)
Young adulthood (18 - 29 yrs)
Thirties (30 - 39 yrs)
Middle age (40 - 64 yrs)

Sullivan, Kathrine S., Dodge, Jessica, Park, Yangjin, Kale, Caroline, Merrill, Julie C., Clarke-Walper, Kristina, Castro, Carl A., Riviere, Lyndon A.

Little is known about how military families navigate the challenges they experience during reintegration, the period after a deployment separation when a service member returns home and families must readjust to their presence. This study considers how family risk factors such as the mental health of both partners and protective factors such as social support and participation in military-sponsored training influence family adjustment during reintegration. Military spouses who reported having more social support were likely to report that their families adjusted more quickly during reintegration. However, spouses who expressed concern about a partner’s mental health were less likely to feel prepared for reintegration and, in turn, were more likely to report that their families adjusted more slowly. The results of this study suggest that supporting military spouses in feeling more prepared for reintegration may be an important means to shorten the adjustment period after a deployment.

Article
REACH Publication

Silver School of Social Work, New York University, KSS
Silver School of Social Work, New York University, YP
Silver School of Social Work, New York University, CK
Center for Clinical Management Research, Ann Arbor Veterans Affairs Hospital, JD
U.S. Army Medical Research Directorate-West, Walter Reed Army Institute of Research, Joint Base Lewis-McChord, JCM
Center for Military Psychiatry & Neuroscience, Walter Reed Army Institute of Research, KCW
Center for Military Psychiatry & Neuroscience, Walter Reed Army Institute of Research, LAR
Center for Innovation and Research on Veterans and Military Families, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CAC