Publication year
2013
Citation Title
Work adjustment after combat deployment: Reservist repatriation
Journal Name
Community, Work & Family
Journal Volume
16
Issue Number
2
Page Numbers
191-211
DOI
10.1080/13668803.2012.741909
Summary
An exploration of U.S. Army Reservists’ concerns and obstacles to returning to the civilian workforce following a combat deployment was conducted. A longitudinal, qualitative study was employed using a person-environment fit perspective to explain the adjustment process and obstacles encountered by the returning Reservists. Overall, Reservists in the study went through four phases adjusting back to civilian work: Return to Home, Return to Work, Activation, and Settling In.
Key Findings
The Return to Home phase described by participants involved excitement overshadowed by anxiety and unmet or met expectations as families formed schedules and resumed routines.
In the Return to Work phase participants experienced disappointment when they found reduced responsibility at work.
In the Activation phase some participants hoped to use new skills acquired during deployment, and others questioned whether or not they wanted to stay working in their current jobs.
The Settling In phase represented a new pattern of behaviors resulting from the decisions made during the Activation phase.
Implications for Program Leaders
Educate returning Service members on how to communicate newly developed skills to current or potential employers
Offer workshops during reintegration to help families and Service members adjust to the Service member’s return, new schedules, and routines
Disseminate information regarding career counseling for return Service members so as to support career exploration and advancement
Implications for Policy Makers
Continue support for programs that specifically address returning Service members’ career development needs
Promote reintegration programs that include attention to assisting Service members in adjusting to family routines and roles
Recommend professional development courses for community providers to educate them about unique factors that returning Service members may face re-entering the workforce
Methods
Participants were recruited at a combat debriefing unit meeting. Fifty-eight Reservists were asked, face-to-face, to participate in the longitudinal study.
Seven interviews of each participant were conducted during the 12 months following return from combat deployment. Questions covered topics such as well-being, major stressors, coping methods, returning to work, and relationships. A total of 69 interviews were conducted.
Analysis included two members of the research team independently reading each interview transcript, discussing divergent coding, and establishing consensus on common themes.
Participants
Participants were 16 (14 males and 2 females) members of an U.S. Army Reserve unit.
Seven participants were married, three co-habited with a partner, six were single, and eight had children.
Eighty-six percent of the sample identified as White and 14% as Black.
Limitations
None of the participants in the sample had experienced significant injuries during combat, which could have influenced the findings of the study.
Reservists that are more comfortable talking about and confronting difficult or awkward transitions may have self-selected to be in the study, which could have biased the findings.
Participants in this sample only consisted of individuals who had been deployed for the first-time, which could have affected the outcomes of the study.
Avenues for Future Research
Examine in more depth the processes proposed in this study with larger, more representative samples which will allow inferences to be made to larger populations
Explore the degree of difference between home and overseas work environments for Service members on levels of anxiety or work expectations
Investigate what factors such as roles, age, and different personality types influence how soon Reservists return to work, face a decision of activation, and begin to feel settled again
Focus
Army
Target Population
Population Focus
Military Branch
Military Component
Abstract
A longitudinal, qualitative study was conducted with United States (US) Army reservists to explore the concerns and obstacles in the process of returning to the civilian workforce following a combat deployment. A person–environment fit perspective is used to explain the adjustment process and obstacles encountered by the returning reservists. Seven waves of interviews over a 12-month period were conducted. These interviews resulted in the development of a process model of reintegration to work. This process model consists of four phases: Return Home, Return to Work, Activation, and Settling In. We discuss the factors and events that characterize each phase and provide some practical recommendations for employers of military reservists.
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