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Military Families

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Extended and repeated deployments can cause significant stress to military families and may result in lower levels of reenlistment. RAND research has explored the need for military-sponsored child care and the role of military spouses, and continues to provide guidance to policymakers on how to attract and retain personnel with essential skills while also supporting military families.

Essay

Military Caregivers Share the Costs of War

Oct 30, 2017

Millions of veterans and service members receive care from family and friends who need support as well. Military caregivers sacrifice their time, their jobs, and even their health to provide a service worth billions of dollars to the United States. RAND research illuminates who they are, what they do, and what they need to succeed.
Research Brief

The Changing Landscape for Veterans' Mental Health Care

Oct 9, 2017

The changing landscape of veterans' mental health care poses challenges for the Welcome Back Veterans (WBV) initiative. Examining these challenges may help WBV ensure continued success and sustainability.

Explore Military Families

Blog

State of the Union 2014: President Obama Calls for a Year of Action

Obama called for “a year of action” to achieve his 2014 agenda — from helping people sign up for health insurance, to immigration reform, to completing the mission in Afghanistan. RAND is committed to raising the level of public policy debates and offering evidence-based, actionable solutions.

Jan 29, 2014
Journal Article

Journal Article

Home Front: Post-Deployment Mental Health and Divorces

In this article, we examine how post-deployment symptoms of PTSD and of other mental health conditions are related to the probability of divorce among married active-duty U.S. Army soldiers.

Jan 1, 2014
Commentary

They Also Serve: Understanding the Needs of Military Caregivers

Military families play a critical role in supporting U.S. servicemembers during deployment and afterwards. Equally vital but often less visible is the role played by those who care for the servicemembers who return with disabling injuries or illnesses and require long-term support beyond what the formal health care system provides.

Nov 18, 2013
Report

Social Fitness and Resilience: A Review of Relevant Constructs, Measures, and Links to Well-Being

One of a series of reports designed to support Air Force leadership in promoting resilience among Airmen, its civilian employees, and Air Force family members, this report examines social fitness, or the combination of resources from social connections that influence how individuals respond to stressful circumstances. It assesses the current social fitness constructs and measures in scientific literature to identify methods of increasing social connectedness and support among U.S. Airmen and their families.

Oct 3, 2013
Research Brief

Reintegration After Deployment: Supporting Citizen Warriors and Their Families

A RAND study of the challenges that reserve component service members and their families face after deployment and the factors that contribute to successful reintegration led to a series of recommendations for the U.S. Department of Defense.

Sep 17, 2013
News Release

Lengthy Military Deployments Increase Divorce Risk for U.S. Enlisted Service Members

The wars in Iraq and Afghanistan have been hard on military marriages, with the risk of divorce rising directly in relation to the length of time enlisted service members have been deployed to combat zones. The negative effects of deployment were largest among female military members.

Sep 3, 2013
Report

Support for the 21st-Century Reserve Force: Insights to Facilitate Successful Reintegration for Citizen Warriors and Their Families

Data collected from families and resource providers offer insights on how well these personnel and their families fare after deployment, the challenges they face during that time frame, the strategies and resources they use to navigate the reintegration phase, and how to ensure that reintegration proceeds as smoothly as possible.

Aug 28, 2013
Report

Strategically Aligned Family Research: Supporting Soldier and Family Quality of Life Research for Policy Decisionmaking

The U.S. Army wants to develop a research agenda that defines the Quality of Life (QOL) needs of soldiers and families, helps gauge the success of programs, improves coordination of research efforts, and determines how best to allocate resources. Analysis suggests that both domain-specific research and a broader, more holistic understanding of QOL — to put domain-specific research in context — are critical.

May 31, 2013
Commentary

Research Is a Fundamental Component of Suicide Prevention

While our research has taught us many things about suicide prevention, we think additional research is critically needed in two areas, writes Rajeev Ramchand. The first is gun control. The second area is the quality of behavioral health care available to those who need it.

May 24, 2013
Blog

At 65, RAND Continues to Make a Difference

To celebrate our first 60 years, we created 60 Ways RAND Has Made a Difference, an online book to illustrate our most notable contributions. On our 65th birthday, we provide five of the most recent ways in which we at RAND are proud to have made a difference.

May 14, 2013
News Release

News Release

Military Caregivers Aid Injured Warriors, but Little Is Known About Their Needs

Spouses, family members, and others who provide informal care to U.S. military members after they return home from conflict often toil long hours with little support, putting them at risk for physical, emotional, and financial harm.

Mar 7, 2013
Commentary

A National Strategy for Supporting Military Caregivers

The act of caring for a veteran takes a physical, mental, and economic toll on caregivers and their families. Giving caregivers the skills and resources they need to cope and thrive should be as much a priority as giving veterans medical care.

Mar 7, 2013
Report

Military Caregivers Aid Injured Warriors, but Little Is Known About Their Needs

Spouses, family members, and others who provide informal care to U.S. military members after they return home from conflict often toil long hours with little support, putting them at risk for physical, emotional, and financial harm.

Mar 7, 2013
Report

Exploring the Association Between Military Base Neighborhood Characteristics and Soldiers' and Airmen's Outcomes

This report explores how neighborhood theory and social indicators research shed light on quality of life in and around military bases, gaps in the methodology, and how a more in-depth analysis of military installations could be conducted.

Jan 24, 2013
Report

Report

Employer Partnership Program Analysis of Alternatives

The Employer Partnership Program (EPP) supports U.S. military reservists and their civilian employers, and maintains a website that allows employers to recruit among reservists, veterans, and family members. This study analyzed usage data from the EPP's website, conducted case studies of Army Reserve units, and interviewed program stakeholders.

Jan 7, 2013
Journal Article

Journal Article

Gone to War: Have Deployments Increased Divorces?

In this paper, we use longitudinal individual-level administrative data from 1999 to 2008 and find that an additional month in deployment increases the divorce hazard of military families, with females being more affected.

Jan 1, 2013
Commentary

Supporting Families Affected by Military Suicide Should Be a Priority for All

While many of these families fight for honor and respect from the DoD or support from the VA, the comfort that they need will not be provided by either institution, nor should it be. Rather, it is up to us—as their neighbors, coworkers, teachers, and students—to shower these families with the love and support they need and deserve, writes Rajeev Ramchand.

Nov 29, 2012
Report

The Common Core State Standards and DoD Education Activity Schools

As it implements the Common Core State Standards, the Department of Defense Education Activity should consider developing and providing implementation-specific supports to its schools.

Nov 12, 2012
Report

Unemployment Among Post-9/11 Veterans and Military Spouses After the Economic Downturn

Policymakers need to understand whether military spouses succeed at finding jobs and how veterans fare economically after they leave the military. But these groups differ from the civilian population in important ways, making comparisons difficult.

Nov 9, 2012
Blog

RAND Research for Military Family Month

RAND is a resource for research and policy recommendations that address the challenges faced by military members, spouses, and their children.

Nov 7, 2012

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Military Families

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