Family Reintegration Following Guard Deployment

As large numbers of deployed Guard members begin to return home, there is concern that we are not prepared to help these veterans and their families with reintegration. Though return from deployment can be a happy occasion, homecoming can turn into a stressful event for troops and their families who are not alert to the impact of changes that occurred during separation. Further, the individual returning from deployment may still be experiencing the stressful effects of deployment. Early reports suggest that returning Global War on Terror veterans are experiencing much higher rates of Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) than veterans in past conflicts have suffered. Unidentified and untreated PTSD presents special risks for family reintegration that may put the veterans and their families at higher danger for maladaptive responses to stress such as alcoholism and domestic violence (Bremner, Southwick, Darnell, & Charney, 1996; Dansky, Byrne, & Brady, 1999; Davis & Wood, 1999).

tOur long-range goal is to develop interventions to reduce problems with family reintegration following deployment. Our objectives in this proposal are to describe the challenges families face with reintegration as well as identify strategies to prevent crises before they occur. Therefore, the purpose of this qualitative study is to explore and describe the experiences of family reintegration of Guard members deployed in the Global War on Terror and elicit their perceptions of what would be helpful to them as they face these challenges. The specific aims of this study are to:

tDescribe veterans and families perceptions of:

Aim 1.ttheir experience with family reintegration and the challenges reintegration presents;

Aim 2.tresources and strategies that would assist them with the reintegration process.

Final report is available on NTRL: https://ntrl.ntis.gov/NTRL/dashboard/searchResults/titleDetail/PB2013103245.xhtml