Accession Number:

ADA621553

Title:

Family Resilience in the Military: Definitions, Models, and Policies

Descriptive Note:

Research rept.

Corporate Author:

RAND NATIONAL DEFENSE RESEARCH INST SANTA MONICA CA

Personal Author(s):

• Meadows, Sarah O.
• Beckett, Megan K.
• Bowling, Kirby
• Golinelli, Daniela
• Fisher, Michael P.
• Martin, Laurie T.
• Meredith, Lisa S.
• Osilla, Karen C.

Report Date:

2015-01-01

Pagination or Media Count:

20.0

Abstract:

Military life presents a variety of challenges to military families, including frequent separations and relocations as well as the risks that service members face during deployment however, many families successfully navigate these challenges. Despite a recent emphasis on family resilience, the U.S. Department of Defense DoD does not have a standard and universally accepted definition of family resilience. A standard definition is a necessary for DoD to more effectively assess its efforts to sustain and improve family resilience. RAND authors reviewed the literature on family resilience and, in this report, recommend a definition that could be used DoD-wide. The authors also reviewed DoD policies related to family resilience, reviewed models that describe family resilience and identified key family resilience factors, and developed several recommendations for how family-resilience programs and policies could be managed across DoD.

Descriptors:

• *FAMILY MEMBERS
• *MILITARY PERSONNEL
• *RESILIENCE
• ADAPTATION
• DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE
• MENTAL HEALTH
• MILITARY FORCES(UNITED STATES)
• MODELS
• POLICIES
• STRESS(PSYCHOLOGY)

Subject Categories:

• Psychology
• Military Forces and Organizations

Distribution Statement:

APPROVED FOR PUBLIC RELEASE