Memphis VA Medical Center

Spouse READI (Resilience Education and Deployment Information) 

This study will implement telephone groups for spouses with service members who have returned from Iraq or Afghanistan. The groups will focus on education, skills building and support.  The purpose includes building resilience through education and learning, better communication, and coping skills. The program is based on the Department of Defense (DoD) face-to-face post deployment Soldier and Spouse BATTLEMIND program.

The consequences of deployment and combat exposure can affect marriage and families negatively.  The study will offer spouses support post-deployment, when reintegration challenges typically surface and are likely to affect family relationships.  The study will determine whether telephone groups can enhance quality of life for military family members.  Some of the usual barriers to participating in a support group, such as lack of local services, access difficulties, childcare, and long distances to travel, are eliminated by the use of the telephone.

Spouse Deployed

Deployment impacts both service member and family, and the cost can be high. Help is needed during deployment to prepare before the service member comes home.  Spouses’ reactions to deployment may include emotional distress, loneliness, anticipatory fear or grief, somatic complaints, and depression.  Problematic aspects have been intensified by the increased operational tempo and multiple deployments of the current conflict.  Spouses may also be stressed by single-parenting, learning skills such as home repairs, making decisions alone, and lack of communication with the service member. 

The Spouse Deployed study will provide education, training in coping skills such as cognitive restructuring, and support through telephone support groups and informational webinar sessions to spouses of deployed military personnel.   This telephone support program is offered to spouses across the country with the goal of improving resilience, coping behaviors, and stress symptoms and reactions.  Assistance during deployment can also help with reintegration post deployment.

These programs are voluntary and all information will be kept confidential!