The Deployment Life Study was designed to provide a deeper understanding of military family readiness and its sources. This report describes the theoretical model that informed the study design, the content of the baseline assessment, the design and procedures associated with data collection, sampling and recruiting procedures, and the baseline sample of military families.

Cover: The Deployment Life Study
Read Online

The Deployment Life Study

Methodological Overview and Baseline Sample Description

by Terri Tanielian, Benjamin Karney, Anita Chandra, Sarah O. Meadows

Download

Download eBook for Free

Full Document

Does not include appendixes.

FormatFile SizeNotes
PDF file 0.5 MB

Use Adobe Acrobat Reader version 10 or higher for the best experience.

Appendixes A-E

FormatFile SizeNotes
PDF file 0.6 MB

Use Adobe Acrobat Reader version 10 or higher for the best experience.

Research Synopsis

FormatFile SizeNotes
PDF file 0.1 MB

Use Adobe Acrobat Reader version 10 or higher for the best experience.

Purchase

Purchase Print Copy

 FormatList Price Price
Add to Cart Paperback98 pages $47.50 $38.00 20% Web Discount

Research Questions

  1. How could researchers design a study that could answer the following questions: How are deployments associated with family well-being and overall functioning? What family- and individual-level factors can account for both positive and negative adaptation to deployment? And what policies and programs can the U.S. Department of Defense develop to help families navigate the stress associated with deployment?
  2. What are the characteristics of the participating military families?
  3. How does and will the study collect data?

In the past decade, U.S. military families have experienced extreme stress, as U.S. soldiers, sailors, airmen, and marines have experienced extended and repeated deployments. As a result, U.S. policymakers and Department of Defense leadership have placed an emphasis on family readiness for deployment and other military-related stressors. However, family readiness is not a well-understood construct. The Deployment Life Study was designed to provide a deeper understanding of family readiness and to address the sources of readiness among military families. It is a longitudinal study of military families over the course of a full deployment cycle — predeployment, during deployment, and postdeployment. Over the course of three years, the study will follow 2,724 families from each service and component, interviewing service members, their spouses, and one child between the ages of 11 and 17 in each family (if applicable) every four months. Baseline data are weighted to be representative of married service members who were eligible to deploy sometime between June 1, 2012, and December 31, 2012. This report describes the Deployment Life Study theoretical model; the content of the baseline assessment; the design and procedures associated with data collection, sampling and recruiting procedures; and the baseline sample of military families.

Key Findings

To Understand How Families Experience Deployments, the Deployment Life Study Focuses on Four Areas: Preexisting Conditions, Deployment Experiences, Intermediate Outcomes, and Long-Term Outcomes

  • Preexisting conditions include enduring traits, relationship resources, nonmilitary circumstances, and prior military experiences.
  • Deployment experiences consist of deployment characteristics and adaptive processes.
  • Intermediate outcomes measured are emergent traits and relationship quality.
  • Long-term outcomes measured are marital dissolution, military retention, child academic achievement, financial well-being, physical health, and mental, emotional, and behavioral health.

Nine Times in Three Years, the Deployment Life Study Assesses the Service Member, His or Her Spouse, and, If Possible, One Child in the Household

  • Initial, baseline assessment began in March 2011 and ended in August 2012.
  • Follow-up assessments continue at four-month intervals for each participant.
  • Interviewers use phone and web survey methods.

Table of Contents

  • Chapter One

    Introduction

  • Chapter Two

    What We Know About Deployment and Military Families

  • Chapter Three

    Conceptual Model

  • Chapter Four

    Deployment Life Study Design

  • Chapter Five

    Constructs and Measures

  • Chapter Six

    The Baseline Sample

  • Chapter Seven

    Summary and Conclusion

  • Appendix A

    List of Constructs and Measures for the Deployment Life Study

  • Appendix B

    Screening Instrument

  • Appendix C

    Baseline Service Member Survey

  • Appendix D

    Baseline Spouse Survey

  • Appendix E

    Baseline Study Child Survey

Research conducted by

The research described in this report was prepared for the United States Army and the Office of the Secretary of Defense. The research was conducted jointly within the RAND Arroyo Center and the RAND National Defense Research Institute.

This report is part of the RAND Corporation Research report series. RAND reports present research findings and objective analysis that address the challenges facing the public and private sectors. All RAND reports undergo rigorous peer review to ensure high standards for research quality and objectivity.

This document and trademark(s) contained herein are protected by law. This representation of RAND intellectual property is provided for noncommercial use only. Unauthorized posting of this publication online is prohibited; linking directly to this product page is encouraged. Permission is required from RAND to reproduce, or reuse in another form, any of its research documents for commercial purposes. For information on reprint and reuse permissions, please visit www.rand.org/pubs/permissions.

The RAND Corporation is a nonprofit institution that helps improve policy and decisionmaking through research and analysis. RAND's publications do not necessarily reflect the opinions of its research clients and sponsors.