Publication year
2014
Citation Title
Postdeployment reintegration experiences of female soldiers from National Guard and Reserve units in the United States.
Journal Name
Nursing Research
Journal Volume
63
Issue Number
5
Page Numbers
346-356
DOI
10.1097/NNR.00000000000000051
Summary
Female members of National Guard and Reserve units participated in semi-structured interviews exploring their postdeployment family reintegration experience. Five themes emerged from participants about their postdeployment reintegration experiences, including increased complexity of life, loss of military role, changes due to deployment, reconnecting with partners/spouses, and re-entering the role of motherhood.
Key Findings
The increased complexity of life category consisted of feeling overwhelmed regarding making consumer choices or prioritizing and multitasking to manage activities and family members.
The loss of military role was difficult, especially for women who lacked meaningful civilian jobs and dealing with negative emotional reactions from deployment called negativity impact reintegration.
Some participants found moving back into a spousal relationship and parental role to be awkward and uncomfortable.
Implications for Program Leaders
Offer informal support groups for female Service members
Create buddy systems, matching experienced Service members with newer ones to promote transfer of knowledge and exchange of social support
Disseminate information regarding some of the common challenges experienced by female Service members during reintegration and ways to cope with these challenges
Implications for Policy Makers
Recommend partnerships with agencies that provide reintegration services for returning Service members
Support programs that offer resources to Service members and their families after reintegration
Recommend that programs offer parenting classes to help Service members re-enter the role of parent after deployment
Methods
Female members of National Guard units from five states were invited to participate in 2012, via flyers and announcements made on the units' Facebook pages.
Women who had either been recently deployed or several years prior were eligible.
Semi-structured in-person or telephone interviews focused on changes to families and support systems, and the experience of reintegration.
Participants
Forty-two female National Guard members participated, 41% of whom were 40-49 years old. Race/ethnicity of participants was not reported.
The majority of participants were married (40%) and did not have any children (35%).
Seventy-two percent had experienced one deployment, 23% had two deployments, and 2% had three deployments.
Limitations
The sample was self-selected and may not be representative of all female Service members.
The sample is small, limiting the generalizability of results.
The coding strategy relied heavily on one researcher, and no inter-rater reliability was calculated; therefore, results may be biased.
Avenues for Future Research
Include female Service members in other branches of the military
Replicate the study using quantitative measures
Survey both female Service members and their partners to get a more accurate understanding of their post-deployment reintegration experiences
Focus
Army
Target Population
Population Focus
Military Branch
Military Component
Abstract
Background: Women are an integral part of Reserve and National Guard units and active duty armed forces of the United States. Deployment to conflict and war zones is a difficult experience for both soldiers and their families. On return from deployment, all soldiers face the challenge of reintegration into family life and society, but those from the National Guard and Reserve units face the additional challenge of reintegration in relative isolation from other soldiers. There is limited research about the reintegration experiences of women and the functioning of the families during reintegration following deployment. Objective: The goal was to document postdeployment family reintegration experiences of women in the National Guard. Methods: Semistructured interviews were conducted with 42 female members of Midwestern National Guard units. Directed content analysis was used to identify categories of experiences related to women's family reintegration. Results: Five categories of postdeployment experience for female soldiers and their families were identified: Life Is More Complex, Loss of Military Role, Deployment Changes You, Reestablishing Partner Connections, and Being Mom Again. Discussion: The categories reflected individual and family issues, and both need to be considered when soldiers and their families seek care. Additional research is needed to fully understand the specific impact of gender on womenÕs reintegration.
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