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Pre-deployment Well-Being Among Single and Partnered National Guard Soldiers: The Role of Their Parents, Social Support, and Stressors

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Military Deployment and its Consequences for Families

Part of the book series: Risk and Resilience in Military and Veteran Families ((RRMV))

Abstract

Families are a key source of support for National Guard Soldiers, yet little is known about the influence of parents on Soldiers’ pre-deployment well-being. In this chapter, we examine the potential role family may play in the psychological well-being of National Guard Soldiers. We present initial findings from the Readiness and Resilience in National Guard Soldiers (RINGS-2) study—an ongoing, prospective investigation of 2,089 National Guard Soldiers and their families. Single versus partnered Soldiers were compared on measures of pre-deployment well-being (post-traumatic stress symptoms, depression symptoms, and alcohol misuse). Prior to deployment, partnered Soldiers had higher PTSD and depression symptoms than single Soldiers, while single Soldiers reported greater alcohol misuse than partnered Soldiers. Multiple linear regression analyses examined the role of family contextual factors in understanding Soldiers’ pre-deployment well-being. Findings demonstrated the important role families can play in Soldiers’ well-being prior to deployment, both as a source of support and strain.

The views expressed in this article are those of the authors and do not reflect the official policy or position of the Department of Veterans Affairs, Department of the Army, or Department of Defense.

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Acknowledgements

This research was supported by a Service Directed Research (SDR) grant from the Department of Veterans Affairs Health Services Research & Development (SDR #398). This material is the result of work supported with resources and the use of facilities at the Minneapolis VA Health Care System, Minneapolis, MN. The authors would like to acknowledge Lieutenant Colonel Barbara O’Reilly, Major Aaron Krenz, and the Minnesota Army National Guard for their ongoing support of the Readiness and Resilience in National Guard Soldiers (RINGS) Project.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Minneapolis VA Health Care System, One Veterans Drive, Minneapolis, MN, 55417, USA

    Melissa A. Polusny Ph.D., L.P. & Christopher R. Erbes Ph.D.

  2. Center for Chronic Disease Outcomes Research, Minneapolis, MN, USA

    Melissa A. Polusny Ph.D., L.P., Christopher R. Erbes Ph.D., Emily Hagel Campbell, Hannah Fairman, Mark Kramer Ph.D. & Alexandria K. Johnson

  3. University of Minnesota Medical School, Minneapolis, Minneapolis, MN, USA

    Melissa A. Polusny Ph.D., L.P. & Christopher R. Erbes Ph.D.

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  1. Melissa A. Polusny Ph.D., L.P.
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  2. Christopher R. Erbes Ph.D.
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Correspondence to Melissa A. Polusny Ph.D., L.P. .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Human Development & Family Studies, Military Family Research Institute, Purdue University, West Lafayette, Indiana, USA

    Shelley MacDermid Wadsworth

  2. Dept. Medical & Clinical Psychology, Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, Bethesda, Maryland, USA

    David S. Riggs

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Polusny, M.A., Erbes, C.R., Campbell, E.H., Fairman, H., Kramer, M., Johnson, A.K. (2014). Pre-deployment Well-Being Among Single and Partnered National Guard Soldiers: The Role of Their Parents, Social Support, and Stressors. In: MacDermid Wadsworth, S., Riggs, D. (eds) Military Deployment and its Consequences for Families. Risk and Resilience in Military and Veteran Families. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-8712-8_9

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