Understanding the Experience of Military Families and Their Returning War Fighters: MiliTaRy liTERaTURE and REsoURcE REviEW

Military families face unique stressors associated with deployment and reintegration. during deployment, families are faced with worries about the safety of the service member, a need to adapt to changing situations and increased responsibilities. When war fighters return, often recovering from physical and psychological injuries, the challenge of reintegrating into family life, reconnecting to social supports, finding civilian employment and redefining their roles in the community can be overwhelming. combat-related difficulties, such as Traumatic Brain injury (TBi) and Post-Traumatic stress disorder (PTsd), the signature injuries of operation Enduring Freedom (oEF)/operation iraqi Freedom (oiF), have a significant impact on returning war veterans and their family relationships. The presence of TBi and PTsd increase the likelihood of other emotional problems (american Psychological association [aPa], 2007) and substance abuse, which increase family stress and the risk of intimate partner violence (iPv). The “new normal ” for the military combating insurgencies in oEF/oiF means increasing numbers and lengths of deployments, greater reliance on national Guard and Reserve, and new roles for women in the military. successful in-theater medical treatment saves lives but increases the number of veterans with both visible and invisible wounds. department of defense an