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NEW STUDY SHOWS MULTIPLE DEPLOYMENTS TAKING TOLL ON MILITARY FAMILIES

Study Answers Questions of How to Help Families of Deployed Service members

Alexandria, VA, March 28, 2006 — Military families need greater psychological, emotional, and organizational assistance according to the results of a new survey released today by the National Military

REPORTS Cycles of Deployment Report Serving the Homefront: An Analysis of Family Support from 9-11-01 through 3-31-04

Family Association (NMFA). The Cycles of Deployment Survey, a study on the needs of military families, shows service members and military families are experiencing increased levels of anxiety, fatigue, and stress. In response, NMFA outlined recommendations for meeting these challenges amid multiple and extended deployments, increased rates at which servicemembers are called upon for service, and the heavy reliance on National Guard and Reserve forces. 

“This report clearly shows the range of support programs for families has expanded since the start of the War on Terror. However, multiple deployments and a high operations tempo mean different types of support are needed for families' continued success before, during, and after deployment,” said Joyce Raezer, director of Government Relations for NMFA.  “Our survey results provide the Department of Defense a detailed roadmap for making sure families are taken care of during this important time.”

Key findings from the survey include:  

• Almost half of respondents reported they have used or would use counseling services such as anger management classes and family counseling. Three quarters of those who stated they were better able to deal with subsequent deployments found counseling services to be helpful.
• Two-thirds of military families surveyed did not have contact with their unit or unit network volunteer during the critical pre-deployment stage.
• Less than one-half reported a consistent level of family support through the pre-deployment, deployment, and post-deployment phases.  Seventeen percent reported no support was available.
• Many respondents are concerned that volunteers who help families adjust to life during deployment and what to expect after the reunion are becoming fatigued and subject to “burn-out.”  They stated that the leaders of unit family groups should be paid or have paid professional support personnel assigned. 
• Military family members with civilian jobs face pressure to avoid taking time off before, during, or after deployment.  Sixty percent of military spouses are employed outside the home and many have either quit their jobs or are considering it. 
• Military families are worried about how the reunion will go with their deployed family member even as they are worrying about their servicemember’s safety in the field. Unfortunately, many families are not taking advantage of specific return and reunion briefings and activities.
• Many respondents expressed that when entering a second or third deployment, they carry unresolved anxieties and expectations from the last deployment(s).  While they may have gained knowledge of resources available to them, respondents whose servicemember deployed multiple times reported being more fatigued and increasingly concerned about their family relationships.
• Although challenged by the demands of deployment, families noted they are proud of their servicemember and their service to our country. They understand that family support is primarily their personal responsibility, but they expect “The Military” to provide support as well.

The NMFA developed a series of recommendations for how the Department of Defense (DoD) can better train and support military staff and civilian volunteers to assist military families, including:

• Expand program and information outreach. Create formats for families to access support services and maintain touch with their commands and unit family group that live too far from either the unit or from other military families.
• Assist families in developing realistic expectations, and then meet them. Educate military families about what to expect before, during, and after deployments.
• Direct more resources to support family volunteers. Increase the level of resources and paid professionals, both counselors and administrative, to support the logistics of family support and conducting family readiness activities.
• Address return and reunion challenges throughout the deployment cycle. Help with the reintegration of a servicemember with the family after deployment. 
• Recognize that family time is important. Encourage service leaders to give family time a higher priority when planning operational activities, especially for servicemembers who have only been back from deployment for a few months.

Continue deployment briefings throughout the year. Never assume families have all the information they need. Ongoing deployment briefings can especially help new spouses or the parents of new recruits. Experienced family members also may find new challenges during a subsequent deployment or find the accumulated stress from multiple deployments creates the need for re-engagement with the family readiness/support group or for accessing different support personnel.
 
The Cycles of Deployment Survey, conducted between April and September, 2005, surveyed close to 1,600 individuals, representing both active and reserve components from six of the seven uniformed services (Army, Navy, Marine Corps, Air Force, Coast Guard, Public Health Service). Seventy percent of respondents offered comments and personal stories regarding their deployment experiences. Half of respondents had a servicemember currently deployed.  

This report is the follow-up to NMFA’s well-received, earlier study, Serving the Homefront: An Analysis of Family Support from 9-11-01 through 3-31-04. The findings presented in this survey served as the basis for  NMFA testimony presented to various Congressional Committees this year.  It addresses the core issues of service members and their families: Family Readiness; Families and Deployment; Families and Transition; Compensation and Benefits; and Families and Community.

The National Military Family Association (NMFA) is the only national organization whose sole focus is the military family and whose goal is to influence the development and implementation of policies that will improve the lives of the families of the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps, Coast Guard and the Commissioned Corps of the Public Health Service and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. For more than 35 years, its staff and volunteers, comprised mostly of military family members, have built a reputation for being the leading experts on military family issues.