Comfort, Cliques, and Clashes: Family Readiness Groups as Dilemmatic Sites of Relating During Wartime

One important but understudied source of support for Army families is the family readiness group (FRG). The current analysis of relationships with/in FRGs emerged from qualitative interviews conducted with 50 active-duty Army or Army National Guard wives whose husbands were deployed in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom or Operation Enduring Freedom between 2003 and 2005. Through our in-depth reflection and analysis of the transcripts, we recognized how these women’s lived experiences reflected complex relationships with/in their FRGs, which in some cases supported but in other cases marginalized spouses, thus constructing them as dilemmatic sites for their members. We identified two sets of contrasting constructions: FRGs as coping resources versus sources of stress and FRGs as confirming versus disconfirming environments. We conclude with practical advice for military communities and suggestions for future research.