https://aub.ie/MilitaryREACH-Drew2022

Drew, A. L., Blankenship, A. E., Kritikos, T. K., Jacoby, V. M., Dondanville, K. A., Yarvis, J. S., Sharrieff, A., McGeary, C. A., Blount, T. H., Young-McCaughan, S., Peterson, A. L., & DeVoe, E. R. (2022). "This gradual swing back into us": Active duty Army spouses' experiences during homecoming and post-deployment family reintegration. Journal of Family Issues. 43(7), 1946-1967. https://doi.org/10.1177/0192513X211030023

This study examined the experiences of 16 military wives with young children during the reintegration phase. Wives completed interviews to retrospectively report on their experiences before, immediately after, and weeks after their husbands’ return from deployment, as well as on the post-deployment changes in themselves and the Soldiers. Overall, 4 main themes emerged: 1) preparing for the Soldier’s return, 2) reunion experiences, 3) reintegrating into family life, and 4) post-deployment changes in wives and Soldiers.

https://doi.org/10.1177/0192513X211030023

Deployment
Couples
Mental health
Parents
Trauma

Army

Active Duty

Spouse of service member or veteran

Young adulthood (18 - 29 yrs)
Adulthood (18 yrs & older)
Thirties (30 - 39 yrs)

Qualitative Study
Cross sectional study
Secondary Analysis

Drew, Alison L., Blankenship, Abby E., Kritikos, Tessa K., Jacoby, Vanessa M., Dondanville, Katherine A., Yarvis, Jeffrey S., Sharrieff, Allah-Fard, McGeary, Cindy A., Blount, Tabatha H., Young-McCaughan, Stacey, Peterson, Alan L., DeVoe, Ellen R.

There is acknowledgment that deployments can be stressful for military spouses; however, less is known about their experiences post-deployment. This qualitative study examined the post-deployment experiences of 16 female spouses, whose active duty Army husband had returned from deployment within the previous 2 years and who had a young child during the deployment. Spouses reported that the time surrounding their husbands’ return was one of the great transitions, often accompanied by stress. Most families were able to work through challenges and show positive adjustment over time. However, some spouses described severe post-deployment challenges marked by disconnect from their partners; three of these were spouses whose husbands had posttraumatic stress disorder. The findings address how spouses prepared for their husband’s return, their reunion experiences, the process of reintegrating their husband into family life, and individual changes in the partners post-deployment. Facilitators and challenges to adjustment were identified as potential targets for interventions.

SAGE Journals

Article
REACH Publication

School of Social Work, Boston University, ALD
School of Social Work, Boston University, ERD
Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, AEB
Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, VMJ
Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, KAD
Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, CAM
Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, THB
Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, SYM
Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, ALP
Department of Psychology, Loyola University Chicago, TKK
Department of Behavioral Health, Carl R. Darnall Army Medical Center, JSY
Department of Behavioral Health, Carl R. Darnall Army Medical Center, AS
Research and Development Service, South Texas Veterans Health Care System, SYM
Research and Development Service, South Texas Veterans Health Care System, ALP
Department of Psychology, University of Texas at San Antonio, ALP