Informing peer support programs for active duty military spouses of U.S. Army soldiers

• Published in: Journal of military, veteran and family health Vol. 11; no. 1; p. 90
• Main Authors: Borah, Elisa, Harvey, Aubrey, Arora, Anil, Hare, Karie, Blankenship, Abby E.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: University of Toronto Press 01.02.2025
• Subjects: African Americans; Behavioral health care; Child care; Health aspects; Married people; Military wives; Parenting; Soldiers; United States; Texas
• ISSN: 2368-7924; 2368-7924
• DOI: 10.3138/jmvfh-2023-0077

LAY SUMMARY With 50% of active duty service members being married, spouses are critical in supporting military readiness. Yet, because of the nature of military service, spouses experience numerous challenges, including education and career progression, parenting and child care, managing family separation during deployment and training, and accessibility of health care. Peer support programs can develop a sense of community, provide support for shared challenges, and offer access to resources. Building on a peer support program with Veteran spouses, this study identified the challenges and needs of active duty spouses to inform adaptation of the program. Five focus groups were conducted on Zoom with 35 active duty military spouses to understand their main concerns and preferences for a peer support program. Major themes identified were challenges of military life, benefits of military life, and recommendations for peer support programming. This study’s findings will be used to adapt and develop a peer support program to be tested with military spouses of U.S. Army soldiers in a study funded by the U.S. Department of Defense. Introduction: Military spouses experience stressors adapting to the careers of service members. The Veteran Spouse Resiliency Group (V-SRG) is a group peer support program designed to foster community, share available support services, including educational, career, health care, and community resources, and promote self-care and wellness practices. As part of a randomized controlled trial (RCT) funded by the U.S. Department of Defense, this initial study assessed the needs of military spouses to adapt and test the V-SRG program for the Army spouse population. This qualitative study sought to understand military spouses’ 1) perceived challenges and rewards of military life, 2) needs for additional support, and 3) recommendations for a peer support program. Methods: Participants were 35 spouses of active duty U.S. Army soldiers. Zoom group sessions were recorded, transcribed, and analyzed with inductive (open) coding to develop upper-level categories derived from the research questions. Results: Most participants were female (97%); they were 43% white and 17% Black or African American, Asian, or Native Hawaiian or other Pacific Islander. Themes identified to be tested in the new program in the larger parent RCT included challenges of education and career progression, parenting and childcare, deployment, and accessibility of medical and behavioural health care. Benefits included value of military community and occasional positive aspects of relocation. Finally, recommendations for peer support programming included content, program structure, and program amenity recommendations. Discussion: Military spouses described aspects of military life to inform the design of a peer support program to meet their needs and preferences.