Family reintegration following Guard deployment

As large numbers of deployed Guard members begin to return home, there is concern that we are not prepared to help these veterans and their families with reintegration. Though return from deployment can be a happy occasion, homecoming can turn into a stressful event for Guard members and their families who are not alert to the impact of changes that occurred during separation. Further, the individual returning from deployment may still be experiencing the stressful effects of deployment. Early reports suggest that returning Global War on Terror veterans are experiencing much higher rates of Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) than veterans in past conflicts have suffered. Unidentified and untreated PTSD presents special risks for family reintegration that may put the veterans and their families at higher danger for maladaptive responses to stress such as alcoholism and domestic violence (Bremner, Southwick, Darnell, & Charney, 1996; Dansky, Byrne, & Brady, 1999; Davis & Wood, 1999). The long-range goal is to develop interventions to reduce problems with family reintegration following deployment. A reintegration task force made up of several community partners (Oregon Military Department, the Oregon Department of Veteran's Affairs, the Oregon Employment Department, US Department of Veterans Affairs Health Benefits Administration and Advisory Committee, US Department of Labor, and the Oregon Business Association) have been formed in Oregon to create resources for returning veterans and their families. The objectives in this presentation are to describe the challenges families face with reintegration as well as identify strategies to prevent crises before they occur. Participants will learn about strategies to screen for PTSD in brief encounters with both veteran's and their families.