Publication year
2010
Citation Title
Ethnic variations in the connection between work-induced family separation and turnover intent.
Journal Name
Journal of Family Issues
Journal Volume
31
Issue Number
5
Page Numbers
626-655
DOI
10.1177/0192513x09349034
Summary
Family separations can cause strain in military families and may influence Service members' decision to re-enlist or leave the military. A large 1999 Active Duty survey was used to examine the associations between family separations, demographic information, resources, and Service members' intent to leave the military. Service members who had experienced longer family seperations had higher intent to leave the military, and this relationship was stronger for minority Service members or those who were dissatisfied with their resources.
Key Findings
The longer family separations that Service members had experienced during the prior 12 months, the greater their intent to leave military service.
Service members' satisfaction with resources available for themselves and their family partially accounted for the relationship between family separation and intent to leave the military so that greater dissatisfaction with resources was associated with greater intent to leave the military.
Examining racial/ethnic differences, the relationship between family separation and intent to leave the military was almost twice as strong for participants in minority groups as for White participants.
Implications for Program Leaders
Provide multiple supports and services for children of Service members during separations due to duty (e.g., daycare, play groups, support groups, opportunities for sports, art, or other activity participation)
Inform military parents about different ways to keep in touch with their families during separations (e.g., calls, letters, sharing pictures, video chats)
Educate Service members about the benefits of long-term military service to improve retention
Implications for Policy Makers
Recommend shorter work assignments or deployments for Service members in order to reduce family separation length
Encourage the training of professionals working with military families about potential difficulties associated with long-term family separation
Continue to provide support structures for families of deployed Service members (e.g., Family Readiness Groups) and to develop new supports and services
Methods
All Active Duty Service members were eligible to complete the voluntary 1999 Active Duty Survey, which the data were drawn from; only married Service members with children were included in analysis.
Service members completed questions regarding demographic information, family separation, resources (e.g., material, social, family, work), and intent to leave the military.
Associations between family separation, intent to leave the military, and satisfaction with resources were examined.
Participants
Participants included 14,791 Active Duty Service members who were married and had children.
Participants were 12.5% female and had an average age of 34.7 years.
Service members were 73% White, 13% Black, 8% Latino, and 6% Asian American.
Limitations
Data were published more than 10 years after collection and during peacetime, so they may be out-dated or inconsistent with the experiences of current Service members.
Participants were all married Service members with children and results may not generalize to Service members with other family types or structures.
Only one item was used to measure social resources, which may not give an accurate measurement of the construct.
Avenues for Future Research
Examine the associations between demographic characteristics, family separation, and resources during wartime and in a more current sample
Investigate factors that may influence whether Service members actually leave the military, rather than their intent or consideration of leaving the military
Compare Service members' reasons for leaving or considering leaving the military between those with different types of families (e.g., married, partnered, with children, without children)
Focus
Multiple Branches
Target Population
Population Focus
Military Branch
Military Component
Abstract
Using conservation of resources theory, this study examines the role of resources in the relationship between work-induced family separation and workersintentions to leave their employment and how these relationships vary across ethnic groups. Analyses of a large representative sample of military members reveal that family separation is significantly related to intent to leave the military and that this relationship is partially mediated by resources for all ethnic groups. Work- and family-related resources are the most strongly related to both separation and turnover for all ethnic groups, but significant ethnic variations are found for most paths in the model. Results are discussed in terms of applications inside and outside the military and potential implications for conservation of resources theory."}" style="font-size:110%;font-family:Calibri;color:#000000;">Using conservation of resources theory, this study examines the role of resources in the relationship between work-induced family separation and workers’ intentions to leave their employment and how these relationships vary across ethnic groups. Analyses of a large representative sample of military members reveal that family separation is significantly related to intent to leave the military and that this relationship is partially mediated by resources for all ethnic groups. Work- and family-related resources are the most strongly related to both separation and turnover for all ethnic groups, but significant ethnic variations are found for most paths in the model. Results are discussed in terms of applications inside and outside the military and potential implications for conservation of resources theory.
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