Adaptability and Resiliency of Military Families During Reunification: Results of a Longitudinal Study

The introduction and background of this study was described in McNulty, 2008, and McNulty, 2010.(1,2) These findings included the 3 months before reunification through 3 months after reunification occurred, indicating increased stress among families 3 months after the return of the spouse from Iraq. Many qualitative remarks summarized that the stigma of getting help kept many army soldiers from reaching out due to the real or perceived perception that their military careers would be adversely affected. An overall divorce rate of 7.6% was reported during this period. Active-duty spouses reported divorces at 8.6% compared with 4.7% in the reserve group.