Strategies to Protect the Health of Deployed U.S. Forces Medical Surveillance, Record Keeping, and Risk Reduction (1999) / Chapter Skim
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7 Postdeployment Reintegration
7 Postdeployment Reintegration
Pages 121-136
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From page 121... ...
The National Vietnam Veterans Readjustment Study found that 45 and 37 percent of men and women, respectively, serving in the Vietnam theater reported having at least one serious postwar readjustment problem and that roughly one in four Vietnam theater veterans continued to experience at least one such problem when they were surveyed in 1990 (Kulka et al., 1990~. Veterans who were exposed to war-zone stress displayed poorer levels of adjustment in family roles and marital relationships than civilians or veterans from the same era who were not deployed to Vietnam (Kulka et al., 1990~.
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From page 122... ...
The availability of adequate support services for these families during the deployment and into the reintegration period is crucial (Holloway, 1999~. The unprecedented call-up of National Guard and Reserve units for the Gulf War had a strong effect on service members and their families.
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From page 123... ...
. Decreases in support services frequently accompany decreases in numbers of personnel.
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From page 124... ...
A description of the programs that are currently in place in the military to help service members with reintegration follows. MILITARY REUNION AND REINTEGRATION LITERATURE REVIEW Information Gathering Psychological, sociological, and medical literature databases were surveyed for information on reintegration and reunion topics for the period from World War II to the present.
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From page 125... ...
suggest that longer separations require more time for a family to reach equilibrium upon the POW's release and return (McCubbin et al., 1975; Nice et al., 1981~. Wives of POWs who have children or wives of POWs who work or who are more active and socially oriented through community activities, family support groups, and church functions cope better than those who do not perform such activities (Black, 1993; Figley, 1993b; Wood et al., 1995~.
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From page 126... ...
During the readjustment phase, the returning service members typically experience initial culture shock and emotional overload that may cause the spouses to be emotionally separate. Some couples may have some sexual difficulties during this time.
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From page 127... ...
of the estimated 3.14 million men who served in the Vietnam theater had posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD)
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From page 128... ...
provision of a contact point for returning service members to ensure provision by the military of adequate health and human services especially for those who do not live near military installations, for example, members of the reserves and their families (Hill, 1949; McCubbin et al., 1974; McCubbin et al., 1976; Hunter, 1982; Kaslow and Ridenour, 1984;Hobfolletal., l991;Wolfe, 1991~. PROGRAMS TO ASSIST FAMILIES AND SERVICE MEMBERS WITH REINTEGRATION The armed services have developed various programs to assist service members and their families through their return and to ease the transition into the home environment.
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From page 129... ...
In the early 1970s, Navy chaplains began providing informal support and help for sailors as they prepared for the return home. In 1980, an official return and reunion homecoming program was developed at the Norfolk Family Service Center (Stokoe, 1999~.
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From page 130... ...
Army Combined Arms Command, 1991~. Air Force Support Services The Air Force family support centers provide a variety of programs for service members from all branches of the military.
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From page 131... ...
The readiness program also provides video teleconferencing, video electronic mail, and international calling cards for frequent communication while the service members are away. Programs to Help Support National Guard and Reserves The three services have developed many programs to assist active-duty service members and their families in coping with the emotional and mental challenges of reintegration and reunion after a deployment.
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From page 132... ...
Although no official programs were in place for the Air Force Reserves immediately following the Gulf War, programs to provide help in separation and reintegration issues began in 1993 in response to a survey that showed a need for family support-type programs (Bassett, 1998~. Rather than relying on volunteers, the Air Force Reserve Family Readiness Program employs professionals to provide help in separation and reintegration issues for Air Force reservists and their families.
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From page 133... ...
Congress established an additional readjustment counseling resource specifically for Gulf War veterans. The Persian Gulf Family Support Program operated from October 1992 to September 1994 to provide services such as those carried out at Vet Centers as well as Gulf War illness-related outreach from 36 VA medical centers.
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From page 134... ...
Special strengths of the Persian Gulf Family Support Program were its availability for both National Guard and Reserve components, its family-focused interventions, and its outreach. Screening tools were used to help identify problems of individuals and families and assess program effectiveness to some extent (Altheimer, 1999; Murphy, 1999; Rathbone-McCuan, 1999~.
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From page 135... ...
Finding 7-2: Since the Gulf War, the services, including the reserve components, appear to have made progress in responding to the support needs of service members and their families during reintegration. The resources and personnel to provide support to the reserve components appear to be less robust and perhaps lacking, however, given the increasing operational tempo and reliance upon these reserve forces.
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From page 136... ...
Department of Defense and U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs should coordinate plans to have reintegration support and health care services available to service members upon their return and be prepared to continue it while needs for such services remain widespread.
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