Coast Guard families experiencing deployment: Stressors, coping strategies and supports

A qualitative study of married male Coast Guard personnel and wives experiencing short-term shipboard deployment cycles (two months at sea, two months homeport) utilized separate focus group interviews for men and women. Home management, housekeeping, children's everyday needs, safety issues and gossip were explored as stressors affecting spouses during deployments. The establishment and implementation of routines eased the feelings of loneliness and stress associated with deployments. Parents found that children coped well with deployments when mothers established routines and maintained a positive attitude, while taking on the responsibilities of the temporarily absent spouse. Adjustment to separation was also made easier through communication between spouses. The evolution of e-mail has provided the means for daily communication with family members.; Support systems for wives include informal support networks of friendships, relatives and wives clubs (also known as deployment support groups). Friendships among wives residing in base housing were found to be a valuable source of support to wives. Wives' clubs were perceived by many to be 'cliquish' and 'gossipy'. Residence in base housing positively affected families' feelings of safety during deployments and increased the ability to develop friendships among wives. Coast Guard personnel and their spouses primarily viewed the more formalized Coast Guard support systems negatively. Respondents cited poor dissemination of information and referral sources. Employee Assistance Programs seem to be growing in favor among families, since the limits of confidentiality exceed those of Coast Guard support systems, while offering more varied services.; Respondents generally maintained a positive attitude toward the deployment lifestyle. Husbands enjoyed the camaraderie of shipmates and became more appreciative of their families as a result of deployments. Wives developed more independence and self-esteem as a result of deployments. Although disruptive to routines, short-term deployments appeared to result in less loneliness and less opportunity for the build-up of daily stressors, than is evidenced in the literature on long-term (6-months or more) deployments.; It is recommended that social workers be assigned, with more services provided to help families adjust to deployment, including coordination of information and provision of linkages to local resources.