Compelling Evidence Unprecedented OIF War-2003-2010 Injury/Loss of Life

1. Mindfulness and Resilience: CopingWith The Hand You are DealtMilitary Wives’ Psychological Functioning and Organizational Support During The Iraq Freedom Conflict • “Life within many military families is forever changed when a service member deploys to a combat zone” (APA, 2007, p. 9) Joan Chambers, Ph.D., 6/12/14

2. Compelling EvidenceUnprecedented OIF War-2003-2010 Injury/Loss of Life 1. National Public Concern: Media coverage frenzy about combat soldiers killed or injured in Iraq 2. APA Task Force: 1.5m deployed, 1/3 deployed twice, 70,000 third combat tour, 20,000 deployed 5 times, 30,000 killed, 23,000 injured (APA, 2007) 3. Limited research about active duty military wives during wartime 4. Study: The wartime deployment separation on military wives’ psychological, physiological, and spiritual well-being

3. Military Wives’ Profile and Selection Criteria Interviewed • 8 Army, Navy, and Marine military wives • Ages 21 to 35 years • Married 1 to 10 years to a mix of officers and enlisted soldiers deployed indefinitely (15-months, or longer) to combat zones in Iraq • Had children/pregnant/first child, or no children • Had no extended family nearby • Lived off-base

4. Global War On Terror • Wartime separation has been an incomparable challenge due to possible peril to the combat soldier (Harris & Segal, 1993) • Families experienced repeated and multiple deployments, unheard of in previous wars, due to the OIF’s lengthy and catastrophic nature (Park, 2011) • Pile-up of stressors associated with the Iraq deployment separation placed exceptional hardships on military wives who confronted unique and greater demands unrivaled by civilian counterparts (Di Nola, 2008) • Relentless indefinite deployments: Great impact on military wives’ psychological and physical abilities to cope and sustain healthy functioning

5. General Adaptation Syndrome Volatile Nature Of The Iraqi War-Prolonged Exposure To Wartime Conditions • All eight women experienced Selye’s (1956) three stages: alarm, resistance, and exhaustion • Uncertain return dates of partners, the real-time media reports on casualties of war, and constant fears for the soldier-husbands’ safety delayed adjustments for the women • Sought long-term medical treatments for stress-related anxiety attacks, headaches, back-pain, etc.

6. Results of Iraq Wartime Deployment

7. 1. Grief and Loss Early Deployment Stages • Stages of Grief: Denial, shock, pain, guilt, anger, bargaining, resentment, blame, depression, acceptance, hope (Kubler-Ross, 1987) • One woman said, “It's like a grieving process and a feeling of loss. I have a lot of denial which I found is a very powerful tool (Faith) • Another said: “I go to set the table and set his place. And then my emotions would churn up and it’s almost like saying goodbye to him again when I take away his plate.”

8. 2. Separation Feelings of Emotional Turmoil Early - Middle Deployment Stage • Deadly wartime deployment trapped all women in a cycle of negative roller coaster emotions and behaviors that affected their mental and physical health. • Tidal waves of anger, resentment, frustration, guilt, anxiety, despair, and depression traumatized them from moving forward with reorganizing disrupted lives. • Impaired functioning: One woman said: “All I wanted to do for those first few days, few weeks, was just lay in bed and sleep” (Grace)

9. 3. Fear Of The Unknown Middle Deployment Stage • Feelings of dread, uncertain futures, and intense worry for their partner’s safety dominated these vulnerable women’s lives. • One woman’s said: “God forbid something happens (to him), what would I do? How would I live? Every morning, I prayed I wouldn't get that dreaded knock on the door. I held my breath waiting for 7:00 to roll by so I could just move on with my day. Because 7:00 a.m. is the time that officers come to your door if your husband dies. I did that for the longest time every morning (Chloe)”

10. 4. Impact On Couple Communication-Soldier’s Mission is Primary- Middle Deployment Stage • Military Restricted Conversations: Non-stressful items to ensure their soldier’s safety and focus on the mission was not disrupted • Overseas Connection- Broken Communication:Timed limited phone calls, power outages, and decreased contacts • Affected Secure Couple Relationships. One woman said: “I don't feel that we get the quality communication that we need to maintain our relationship when we don't get to communicate as often as I'm used to (Anna)”

11. 5. Effect on Family Dynamics and Functioning Middle Stage-Unique Deployment Stressors • Variety of Stress Related Health Issues: Emotional and physical exhaustion, insomnia, headaches, bad dreams, shingles, neck and back pain, weight fluctuations, panic attacks, tiredness, poor eating habits, change in temperaments, and nervousness • Role Overload-Role Captivity: Getting in the moment of a normal routine required sheer exertion that taxed meager resources-No extended family nearby • One women said: “I was so exhausted without him being there that I just passed out (Chloe)”

12. 6. Problem-Focused Coping Strategies-Path To Recovery- Late Deployment Stage-Homecoming • Cognitively appraised and reframed negative situations with positive self-talk, a network of support from other wives, prayers and faith summarized how the women’s gradually moved forward • One women said: “Experiencing the deployment really makes me think and analyze what is important. I slipped back into convincing myself, I can make it through this (Mary)” • Coping strategies mediated stress-enabled all eight women to resolve issues

13. 7. Acceptance, Motivation, and Resiliency • The women accepted the deployment separation as an inevitable change that moved all participants toward new heights of motivation and resiliency • One woman said: “I feel a sense of empowerment at my independence. I figured out I can act on my own and take care of things, and things can run smoothly” (Anna) • Change came with accepting the separation, responsibility for self, and by conquering fears. • When they did so, they became stronger in their abilities to manage the perceived stress.

14. Essence • The women’s powerful story generated a “survival recovery affect” that led them to a greater self-understanding, a life changing experience, lessons learned, that they would never be given anything they could not handle. • The experience of surviving the wartime crisis reshaped mental sets and motivated this group to move through a process of recovery, empowerment, reconnection, common goals, and healing.

15. Implications – Recommendations • Military wives are vital to soldier retention (Castaneda et al., 2009). • Barriers to care: Consistent with previous literature, the FRG and Military One Source support services did not offer medical or counseling intervention services for the women. • Treatment Services: Military and civilian communities- work collectively to find ways to offer civilian-based mental health services on/off base for military families • Need to implement an ‘Adopt-a-First-Time Spouse Program’ to ease the transition for new military wives. • Results for military wives during perilous wartime crisis have not changed since the Vietnam War

16. References • American Psychological Association. (2007). The psychological needs of U.S. military service members and their families: A preliminary report. APA Presidential Task Force on Military Deployment Services for Youth, Families and Service Members. Washington, DC: American Psychological Association. • Castaneda, L. W., Harrell, M. C., Varda, D. M., Hall, K. C., Beckett, M. K., & Stern, S. (2009). Deployment experiences of Guard and Reserve families: Implications for support and retention. Arlington, VA: RAND Corporation. • Di Nola, G. M. (2008). Stressors afflicting families during military deployment. Military Medicine, 173(5), v–vii. • Harris, J., & Segal, M. (1993). What we know about Army families (Special Report 21). U.S. Army Institute for the Behavioral and Social Sciences. Alexandria, VA. • Kubler-Ross, E. (1969). On death and dying. New York, NY: Macmillan. • Park, N. (2011). Military children and families: Strengths and challenges during peace and war. American Psychologist, 66(1), 65–72. • Selye, H. (1956). The stress of life. New York, NY: McGraw-Hill.

17. Military Wives’ Psychological Functioning and Organizational Support During The Iraq Freedom Conflict Q & A Joan E. Chambers, PhD