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Several Factors Are Related to Reserve Component Families' Reintegration Success

• Factors associated with successful reintegration included the family feeling ready for deployment; the service member deploying with his or her own unit; adequate communication from the unit or Service during and after deployment; the service member returning without a psychological issue, physical wound, or injury; and comfortable family finances.
• Successful reintegration from the families' perspective is related to military career preferences. The reintegration experience can influence a service member's guard or reserve career plans and his or her spouse's or partner's preferences for continued service.

A Complex "Web of Support" Is Available to Reserve Component Families to Assist Them with Reintegration

• Resource providers that support reserve component families fall into five broad categories: government organizations (U.S. Department of Defense and other federal programs, as well as state and local government agencies), private for-profit organizations, private nonprofit organizations, faith-based organizations, and informal resources (including family, friends, and social networks).
• This web of support is extensive but can be difficult for families and resource providers to navigate. Both groups identified barriers to the effective use of reintegration support resources. Those cited by providers included difficulty reaching some populations and a lack of coordination across providers. Families discussed concerns related to access and resource quality.
• Reserve component personnel and their families often rely on unit-based resources. Informal support resources also play a critical role, particularly for families that live far from a military installation.

Many studies have examined the impact of deployment on military families, but few have assessed either the challenges that guard and reserve families face following deployment or how they manage the reintegration phase of the deployment cycle. This report aims to facilitate the successful reintegration of guard and reserve personnel as they return to civilian life after deployment. Using surveys and interviews with guard and reserve families, along with interviews with resource providers, this report examines how these families fare after deployment, the challenges they confront during that time frame, and the strategies and resources they use to navigate the reintegration phase. Factors associated with reintegration success include the adequacy of communication between families and the service member's unit or Service and between service members and their families, initial readiness for deployment, family finances, and whether the service member returns with a psychological issue or physical injury. Successful reintegration from the families' perspective was related to measures of military readiness, such as the service members' plans to continue guard or reserve service. In addition, there is a wide-ranging and complex "web of support" available to assist families with reintegration, including U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) programs, state and local government agencies, private nonprofit and for-profit resource providers, faith-based organizations, and informal resources (such as family, friends, and social networks). Opportunities for collaboration among providers abound. DoD does not have to "do it all," but the report suggests steps it can take to ensure that reintegration proceeds as smoothly as possible.

• Chapter One

  Introduction

• Chapter Two

  What Do Guard and Reserve Families Look Like?

• Chapter Three

  What Factors Relate to Successful Reintegration?

• Chapter Four

  What Are the Main Challenges Guard and Reserve Families Face After Deployment?

• Chapter Five

  What Resources Are Available to Help Guard and Reserve Families Reintegrate?

• Chapter Six

  What Kinds of Reintegration Support Do Guard and Reserve Families Use and Find Helpful?

• Chapter Seven

  What Are the Challenges to Supporting Guard and Reserve Families?

• Chapter Eight

  What Advice Do Families and Providers Offer to Ensure That Reintegration Goes Smoothly?

• Chapter Nine

  Conclusions and Recommendations

• Appendix A

  Details on the Assessment of Survey Instruments and Recommendations

• Appendix B

  Details on the Web Survey and Interviews