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BACKGROUND/RATIONALE:
Combat deployments of long duration and unpredictable length are especially problematic for Reserve and Guard soldiers who return to civilian lives, in particular for women veterans, and especially those who are mothers. Concerns and stressors unique to women veteran mothers that affect successful reintegration upon return from the war zone ultimately can impact women veterans' health. Clinicians conducting psychological evaluations at the NJ War Related Illnes and Injury Study Center (WRIISC) have observed that female veterans with children frequently include concerns about their children as a contributing factor complicating their adjustment to home life. Reserve and Guard female members of the military have distinctive concerns and needs which have not typically been addressed by prior focus group studies so there is little data specific to the particularly vulnerable group of Reserve and Guard veteran mothers. Based on anecdotal evidence and data from active duty military women, we hypothesize that Reserve and Guard veteran women who are mothers of dependent children will have different reintegration concerns than those who are not. Although programs exist to try to reduce the burdens of reintegration, these programs have not seen wide use. This suggests either that barriers prevent women from availing themselves of these programs, or that women veterans are unaware of, or unwilling to use these programs.
OBJECTIVE(S):
The pilot study has the following specific aims:
A. To deepen our understanding of the concerns and stressors that accompany reintegration into civilian life for OIF/OEF Reserve and Guard women veterans who are or are not mothers of dependent children.
B. To deepen our understanding of potential barriers to utilizing available support services for these same women and determine what services would provide a better fit for their needs.
METHODS:
We will systematically explore the nature of these concerns through 3 focus groups on 3 different topics to be conducted with previously deployed single or married OEF/OIF Reserve and Guard women veterans both with and without dependent children to address:
(a) Reintegration issues with regard to family issues and comparing mothers' and non-mothers' experience,
(b) Reintegration issues with regard to work issues with a similar comparison between mothers and non-mothers,
(c) Barriers to usage of current services and suggestions about what services would be helpful and how those could be made accessible.
Groups will be composed of both women who do and do not have dependent children so that comparisons of reintegration issues for family and work issues and barriers can be compared for these 2 sub-groups. The discussion guide for each focus group will be different and we will pose distinct questions to each group based on knowledge derived from existing literature. These data are crucial for tailoring future interventions designed to enhance Reserve and Guard women veteran mothers' reintegration into civilian life.
FINDINGS/RESULTS:
No results at this time.
IMPACT:
Knowledge gathered in this pilot study will inform future projects aimed at modifying and then testing focused reintegration interventions for women veterans that could result in decreased health care costs and improved quality of life. We expect that tailoring interventions to address specific identified needs of OIF/OEF women veteran mothers will result in a more successful intervention for reducing stress and related health problems during reintegration.
PUBLICATIONS:
None at this time.
DRA:
Special (Underserved, High Risk) Populations
DRE:
none
Keywords:
Operation Enduring Freedom, Operation Iraqi Freedom, Women's health
MeSH Terms:
none
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