Family Stress and Adaptation During a US Army Europe Peacekeeping Deployment

Increasing U.S. involvement in United Nations sponsored peacekeeping operations calls for small, specially-configured units quite different from traditional combat units. A U.S. Army peacekeeping task force that was recently deployed from Germany to provide medical support to United Nations forces in the former Yugoslavia (United Nations Protection Force or UNPROFOR) exemplifies this new trend. One consequence of drawing soldiers from units scattered across Germany for this special purpose task force is that family members left behind are similarly scattered. Using both survey and interview methods, we sought to identify sources of stress for spouses, and organizational and personal variables associated with healthy adjustment. Organizational variables found to be important in healthy adjustment include community responsiveness and recognition of the family's special situation. Personal resources in the areas of self-concept, coping skills and social support were also associated with healthy adjustment. These findings provide directions for policy makers and unit leaders concerned with ensuring healthy adaptation of military families to future peacekeeping deployments.