title: Easing reintegration: telephone support groups for spouses of returning Iraq and Afghanistan service members.
abstract: Spouses of returning Iraq (Operation Iraqi Freedom, OIF) and Afghanistan (Operation Enduring Freedom, OEF) military service members report increased depression and anxiety post deployment as they work to reintegrate the family and service member. Reconnecting the family, renegotiating roles that have shifted, reestablishing communication patterns, and dealing with mental health concerns are all tasks that spouses must undertake as part of reintegration. We tested telephone support groups focusing on helping spouses with these basic reintegration tasks. Year-long telephone support groups focused on education, skills building (communication skills, problem solving training, cognitive behavioral techniques, stress management), and support. Spouse depression and anxiety were decreased and perceived social support was increased during the course of the study. In subgroup analyses, spouses with husbands whose injuries caused care difficulties had a positive response to the intervention. However, they were more likely to be depressed, be anxious, and have less social support compared to participants who had husbands who had no injury or whose injury did not cause care difficulty. Study findings suggest that this well-established, high-access intervention can help improve quality of life for military spouses who are struggling with reintegration of the service member and family.
authors.affiliation: a Veterans Affairs Medical Center and Departments of Preventive Medicine and Internal Medicine , University of Tennessee Health Science Center.
authors.forename: Linda Olivia
authors.initials: LO
authors.lastname: Nichols
authors.forename: Jennifer
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Martindale-Adams
authors.forename: Marshall J
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Graney
authors.forename: Jeffrey
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Zuber
authors.forename: Robert
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Burns
mesh_terms: D000223:Adaptation, Psychological; D000328:Adult; D055826:Afghan Campaign 2001-; D001007:Anxiety / Q000523:psychology*; D015928:Cognitive Behavioral Therapy; D003142:Communication; D003863:Depression / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D054542:Iraq War, 2003-2011; D008297:Male; D008889:Military Personnel; D011340:Problem Solving; D011788:Quality of Life; D012944:Social Support; D018454:Spouses / Q000523:psychology*; D013315:Stress, Psychological / Q000523:psychology; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D013689:Telephone