Informing peer support programs for active duty military spouses of US Army soldiers

Abstract: Introduction: Military spouses experience stressors adapting to the careers of service members. The Veteran Spouse Resiliency Group (V-SRG) is a group peer support program designed to foster community, share available support services, including educational, career, health care, and community resources, and promote self-care and wellness practices. As part of a randomized controlled trial (RCT) funded by the U.S. Department of Defense, this initial study assessed the needs of military spouses to adapt and test the V-SRG program for the Army spouse population. This qualitative study sought to understand military spouses’ 1) perceived challenges and rewards of military life, 2) needs for additional support, and 3) recommendations for a peer support program. Methods: Participants were 35 spouses of active duty U.S. Army soldiers. Zoom group sessions were recorded, transcribed, and analyzed with inductive (open) coding to develop upper-level categories derived from the research questions. Results: Most participants were female (97%); 43% were white and 17% were Black or African American, Asian, or Native Hawaiian or other Pacific Islander. Themes identified to be tested in the new program in the larger parent RCT included challenges of education and career progression, parenting and child care, deployment, and accessibility of medical and behavioural health care. Benefits included value of military community and occasional positive aspects of relocation. Finally, recommendations for peer support programming included content, program structure, and program amenity recommendations. Discussion: Military spouses described aspects of military life to inform the design of a peer support program to meet their needs and preferences.

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