Family Program Needs

Family Program NeedsFamily Program Needs

Select results from the 2008 Active Duty Spouse Survey (ADSS2008) and Reserve Component Spouse Survey

(RCSS2008)

January 2011

Information and Technology for Better Decision MakingMD DC UMAN ELATIONS SURVEYSH R 2

August 2010

ADSS Survey Results


August 2010

ADSS Weighted Demographic Data1

Active Duty Member Characteristics Percent

Active Duty Spouse Characteristics Percent

Service Gender Army 21 Male 11 Navy 20 Female 89 Marine Corps 21 Air Force 37 Average Age 31.9

Paygrade Race/Ethnicity E1-E4 28 Non-Hispanic White 70 E5-E9 33 Non-Hispanic Black 9 O1-O3 18 Hispanic 11 O4-O6 18

Education Deployment Status No college 13 Not deployed past 36 months 35 Some college 44 Deployed past 36 months 64 4-year college degree 29 Deployed multiple times2 35 Graduate/professional degree 14 Not deployed past 12 months 55 Deployed past 12 months 44 Family Status Deployed combat zone3 31 With children 70

Without children 28

Employment Employed 44 Unemployed 8 Not in Labor Force 34 Armed Forces Member 13

1 Spouses of Coast Guard members were excluded from the 2008 ADSS data before analyses were conducted for this briefing.2 “Deployed multiple times” is a subset of “Deployed past 36 months”3 “Deployed combat zone” is a subset of “Deployed past 12 months”


August 2010

FINANCIAL WELL-BEINGSummary of Findings

2008 ADSS

Average monthly gross household earnings reported were $8,400 No average differences over time for total or Service Average differences over time for paygrade are:

Average monthly gross spouse earnings reported were $2,800 Average differences over time for total, Service, and paygrade are:

Most recent HIGHER thanMost recent LOWER than

2006 2008

Total 7.6 8.4 E1-E4 4.3 5.6 E5-E9 7.8 8.6n O1-O3 10.0 11.0

O4-O6 11.5 12.1


2006 2008

Total 3.7 2.8

Army 3.9 2.7 Navy 3.9 2.9n Marine Corps 3.2 2.4

Air Force 3.6 3.1


2006 2008

Total 3.7 2.8 E1-E4 2.7 2.2 E5-E9 3.7 3.0n O1-O3 4.8 2.7

O4-O6 5.0 3.4


August 2010


2008 ADSS

More than one-quarter (26%) of spouses indicated having at least one financial problem in the past 12 months (excluding paying overdraft fees) Percentage point differences over time for total are:

Most recent HIGHER byMost recent LOWER by

2006 2008

nAny of the listed problems (Excludes paying overdraft fees)

28 26

Failed to make monthly/minimum payment on a credit card

15 15

Was pressured to pay bills by stores, creditors, or bill collectors

13 13

Bounced two or more checks 13 10

Had telephone, cable, or Internet shut off

7 6

Most recent HIGHER byMost recent LOWER by

2006 2008

Failed to make a car payment 0 5

n Fell behind in paying rent or mortgage

1 5

Obtained a payday loan 3 4

Had a car, household appliance, or furniture repossessed

1 2

Had water, heat, or electricity shut off

1 2

Filed for personal bankruptcy -1 0


August 2010


2008 ADSS

Nearly two-thirds (62%) described their financial condition as comfortable; 12% described it as not comfortable No percentage point differences over time for not comfortable for total, Service, or paygrade

Over two-thirds (69%) of spouses reported having $500 or more in emergency savings

About half (46%) reported their spouse contributes to the Thrift Savings Plan


August 2010

HEALTH AND WELL-BEINGSummary of Findings

2008 ADSS

The majority of spouses reported it was likely that a friend, neighbor, or relative (besides their husband/wife) would listen to them if they needed to talk (81%), lend them tools or equipment if they needed them (79%), give them a ride if needed (78%), or take care of their children in an emergency (77%).

Combining these items to form an overall Social Support measure, spouses indicated the level of social support they felt they had at their current location. On a scale from 1 (lowest) to 5 (highest), spouses level of “Social Support” was rated at

3.8 No average differences over time for total, Service, or paygrade

About a half of spouses reported they often felt confident about their ability to handle their personal problems (63%) and things were going their way (45%); whereas less than one-quarter of spouses reported they often felt unable to control the important things in life (20%) and difficulties were piling up so high that they could not overcome them (13%)

Combining these items to form a global measure of Perceived Stress, spouses indicated how much stress they have felt in the past month. On a scale from 1 (lowest) to 16 (highest), spouses level of “Perceived Stress” was

rated at 5.7 No average differences over time for total, Service, or paygrade


August 2010


2008 ADSS

About half (47%) reported more stress than usual in their personal life; about one-tenth (14%) reported less stress Percentage point differences over time for more stress in personal life for total, Service,

and paygrade are:


2006 2008

Total 41 47 E1-E4 51 53 E5-E9 39 46n O1-O3 37 42 O4-O6 34 39


2006 2008

Total 41 47

Army 46 53 Navy 40 44n Marine Corps 46 49

Air Force 35 39


August 2010


2008 ADSS

About one-quarter (21%) reported having more frequent problems in their personal relationship with their spouse; more than one-third (39%) reported less frequent problems Percentage point differences over time for more frequent problems in personal relationships for

total, Service, and paygrade are:


2006 2008

Total 17 21

Army 19 27 Navy 17 18n Marine Corps 20 22

Air Force 13 14


2006 2008

Total 17 21 E1-E4 24 28 E5-E9 16 21n O1-O3 13 14 O4-O6 9 9


August 2010

Employment Services That Would Have Helped After Most Recent Permanent Change of Station (PCS)

Percent of Active Duty Spouses Who Have Experienced at Least One PCS Move

ADSS 2008 Q12 Margins of error range from ±2% to ±12%

0

20

40

60

80

100

2006 2008

Pe

rce

nt

Re

sp

on

din

g Y

es


2006 2008

n Information about job openings 65 71 Training opportunities 54 57

Easier state-to-state transfer or certification

31 38

Financial help with transferring certifications

27 37

Other 20 28


August 2010

Importance of Factors in Coping With DeploymentsPercent of Active Duty Spouses Whose Spouse Had Been Deployed in the Past Three Years


71

76

81

82

83

92

93

95

23

19

14

12

14

7

6

5

6

5

5

6

3

1

2

1

0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%

Recreation, fitness, and entertainment activities

Pre-deployment information

Deployment pay

Temporary reunions with my spouse (R & R time)

Having no changes in the length of deployment

Keeping in touch with my spouse through telephone calls

Knowing the expected length of the deployment

Keeping in touch with my spouse through e-mail

Important Moderately/Somewhat important Not important


August 2010

Importance of Factors in Coping With DeploymentsPercent of Active Duty Spouses Whose Spouse Had Been Deployed in the Past Three Years


42

50

50

55

57

60

61

66

69

32

28

30

18

29

30

27

22

24

26

21

20

27

14

10

12

12

8

0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%

Telephonic counseling/support services (i.e., MilitaryOneSource)

Reunion planning information or classes

Locally available counseling/support services

Keeping in touch with my spouse through instant/text messaging

Family Readiness/Support Group

Level of support my family receives from our civilian community

Contact with someone in my spouse's unit

Understanding why the deployment is important/necessary

Level of support my family receives from the military community



August 2010

What Would Be Helpful During DeploymentPercent of Active Duty Spouses Whose Spouse Had Been Deployed in the Past Three Years

ADSS 2008 Q23, Q24 Margins of error range from ±1% to ±2%

More rest and relaxation (R & R) with spouse 31 E-mail contact with my spouse while deployed 25 Internet (Web cameras) contact 23 Being able to further my education (e.g., go to school) 13 Full-day child care 9 Summer (out-of-school time) programs for children 8 Part-day child care 7 Increased communication with my spouse's unit 7 Membership at a gym/fitness center 6 Military spouse support group 6 Camps for the children 5 Other 5 Counseling 3 Help with managing money while apart 2 Family Readiness Group/Ombudsperson 2 Information via Military OneSource 1 Chaplain 1


August 2010

Helpfulness of Reunion and Reintegration SupportPercent of Active Duty Spouses Whose Spouse Had Been Deployed in the Past Three Years, Returned in

the Past 12 Months, and Obtained Support From Specified Source


33

33

33

43

51

56

33

41

48

30

36

34

34

26

19

28

13

10

0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%

Family counseling

Marital counseling

Network of other militaryspouses

"Drop-in" child care/babysitters

Other

Family members

Helpful Somewhat helpful Not helpful


August 2010

Helpfulness of Reunion and Reintegration SupportPercent of Active Duty Spouses Whose Spouse Had Been Deployed in the Past Three Years, Returned in

the Past 12 Months, and Obtained Support From Specified Source


15

16

17

26

29

31

31

31

42

49

50

42

54

53

41

25

21

27

0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%

On-line counseling

Telephonic counseling

Military Family Life Consultants

Reunion information

Military OneSource

Family Readiness/SupportGroup

Helpful Somewhat helpful Not helpful


August 2010

RCSS Survey Results


August 2010

RCSS Weighted Demographic Data1

Reserve Component Member Characteristics Percent

Reserve Component Spouse Characteristics Percent

Service Gender ARNG 27 Male 20 USAR 14 Female 80 USNR 19 USMCR 9 Average Age 38 ANG 14 USAFR 18 Race/Ethnicity

Non-Hispanic White 75 Paygrade Non-Hispanic Black 9 E1-E4 13 Hispanic 9 E5-E9 46 O1-O3 11 Education O4-O6 26 No college 12

Some college 39 Activation/Deployment Status 4-year college degree 30 Not activated past 24 months 56 Graduate/professional degree 19 Activated past 24 months 44 Activated but not deployed2 8 Family Status Not deployed past 24 months 68 With children 72 Deployed past 24 months 30 Without children 26 Deployed Iraq/Afghanistan3 21

1 USCGR spouses were excluded from the 2008 RCSS data before analyses were conducted for this briefing.2 “Activated but not deployed” is a subset of “Activated past 24 months”3 “Deployed Iraq/Afghanistan” is a subset of “Deployed past 24 months”


August 2010

Summary of Findings2008 RCSS

HEALTH AND WELL-BEING

About one-tenth (11%) of spouses reported less stress than usual in their personal life; nearly half (42%) reported more than usual Percentage point differences over time for total, Component, and paygrade are:


2006 2008

Total 37 42 ARNG 43 46 USAR 41 47 USNR 29 38n USMCR 42 50

ANG 26 31

USAFR 27 31


2006 2008

Total 37 42 E1-E4 48 50 E5-E9 34 40n O1-O3 40 43

O4-O6 30 35


August 2010

Use of Unit-Sponsored Communication MethodsPercent of Reserve Spouses Whose Spouse Had Been Deployed in Past 24 Months

RCSS 2008 Q31 Margins of error do not exceed ±2%

22

25

32

35

17

16

17

19

34

34

32

29

27

25

19

17

0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%

Liaison to agencies

Telephone tree

Internet/Web sites

Newsletters

Yes, and it helped my family Yes, but it did not help my family

No, and it would have helped my family No, but it would not have helped my family


August 2010

Use of Unit-Sponsored Support ActivitiesPercent of Reserve Spouses Whose Spouse Had Been Deployed in Past 24 Months

RCSS 2008 Q32 Margins of error range from ±2% to ±3%

8

24

28

29

7

25

16

27

51

28

35

25

33

24

20

19

0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%

VTC (video teleconference)

Family social events

Information briefings

Family Readiness/SupportGroups

Yes, and it helped my family Yes, but it did not help my family

No, and it would have helped my family No, but it would not have helped my family


August 2010

Use of Military-Provided Programs/ServicesPercent of Reserve Spouses Whose Spouse Had Been Deployed in Past 24 Months


8

10

11

20

23

29

3

3

2

6

6

11

61

51

59

38

44

33

28

36

28

35

27

28

0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%

Family/personal counselingservices

Family centers

Other

Services to families duringactivation/deployment

Military OneSource

Preactivation support

Yes, and it was useful Yes, but it was not useful

No, and I did not want this program/service No, but I wanted this program/service


August 2010

Importance of Factors in Coping With DeploymentsPercent of Reserve Spouses Whose Spouse Had Been Deployed in Past 24 Months


71

82

83

84

91

94

96

24

15

15

12

7

5

3

5

3

3

4

2

1

0

0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%

Level of support my family receives from the civilian community

Having no changes in the length of deployment

Pre-deployment information

Temporary reunions with my spouse (R&R time)

Deployment pay

Knowing the expected length of the deployment

My ability to communicate with my spouse



August 2010

Importance of Factors in Coping With DeploymentsPercent of Reserve Spouses Whose Spouse Had Been Deployed in Past 24 Months


43

51

54

59

62

62

70

37

32

30

29

26

28

23

20

17

17

13

12

10

7

0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%

Telephonic counseling/support services

Locally available counseling/support services

Reunion planning information or classes

Family Readiness/Support Groups

Understanding why the deployment is important/necessary

Contact with someone in my spouse's unit

Level of support my family receives from the military community



August 2010

Need for Interaction With Military Point of Contact (POC) Percent of Reserve Spouses Whose Spouse Had Been Deployed in Past 24 Months and Who Had a Military

POC, By Component


0

20

40

60

80

100

2006 2008

Pe

rce

nt

Re

sp

on

din

g Y

es


2006 2008

Total 55 50 ARNG 61 60 USAR 53 39 USNR 55 46n USMCR 66 56

ANG 37 37

USAFR 38 26


August 2010

Support Services Spouse Received After Member Returned HomePercent of Reserve Spouses Whose Spouse Had Returned Home From a Deployment in the Past 24

Months


1

2

4

8

8

8

18

18

1

1

2

2

3

3

2

6

63

63

56

57

51

54

54

43

35

34

39

33

38

34

27

33

0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%

Minnesota Beyond the Yellow Ribbon Program

Other program

Other military-sponsored program

Services in your civilian community

Unit-sponsored program

Military OneSource

Faith-based organization

Family Readiness/Support Group

Yes, and it helped me Yes, but it did not help me No, and I did not want support services No, but I wanted support services


August 2010

Usefulness of Deployment Information Spouse ReceivedPercent of Reserve Spouses Whose Spouse Had Returned Home From a Deployment in the Past 24

Months


13

15

16

19

20

21

11

10

10

12

13

13

39

43

34

33

30

29

37

31

39

36

37

36

0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%

Understanding the relationship between deployments andincrease in risky behavior

How to help your spouse reconnect with your children

Coping with stress

Reconnecting with your spouse

Dealing with family separations

Deployment and reunion information

Yes, and it helped me Yes, but it did not help me

No, and I didn't want information about this topic No, but I wanted information about this topic


August 2010

Usefulness of Deployment Information Spouse ReceivedPercent of Reserve Spouses Whose Spouse Had Returned Home From a Deployment in the Past 24

Months


11

11

12

13

13

13

8

11

10

9

10

10

39

42

44

44

42

36

42

36

33

35

35

41

0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%

How to help your spouse deal with grief and loss

Financial consulting

Understanding the relationship between deployments andincrease in alcohol consumption

Anger management

How to help your spouse reconnect with other family members

Understanding the relationship between deployments andsleeping problems

Yes, and it helped me Yes, but it did not help me

No, and I didn't want information about this topic No, but I wanted information about this topic

Documents

Family Program Needs