Date: 5/26/09
Contact: Eric Jome
Illinois soldiers returning from service in Iraq and Afghanistan are having a smoother transition back to civilian life thanks to a reintegration program conducted by the Illinois Army National Guard (ILARNG). A team of researchers from Illinois State University's Psychology Department assisted the ILARNG in assessing the effectiveness of the program and found it to be a benefit to soldiers and their families.
The ILARNG Reintegration Program brings returned soldiers and their families together to provide information and resources that help ease the transition from wartime service to civilian life. The full-day events are conducted at 45 and 75 days from the soldiers' return from war.
In 2008, the Illinois State Psychology Department team received a grant from the National Guard Association of Illinois to assess participant satisfaction and overall effectiveness of the program. Researchers found that a vast majority of soldiers and family members surveyed found the information and services provided by the program very helpful in overcoming reintegration challenges. Participants also indicated that their perception of readjustment changed over time. Soldiers and family members participating in the 75-day events reported that readjustment was taking longer than did participants at the 45-day events, thus indicating a growing awareness of reintegration as an ongoing process.
The survey responses also suggest that challenges to the reintegration process vary according to soldier demographics. Married participants indicated that intimacy and communication in relationships, handling finances and adjusting to another person's mood were among the reintegration challenges. Male participants indicated a more positive readjustment into the workforce compared to females. Individuals with lower pay grades reported significantly poorer mental health outcomes, were less likely to report pride in being a war veteran, and indicated their families were less likely to be proud of them compared to participants in higher pay grades.
Not surprisingly, support and involvement by family and community members was found to be vitally important to a soldier's successful transition to life at home after wartime service. Participants attending the 75-day events indicated that outreach from community members had a positive impact on their reintegration and increased their pride in being a war veteran.
"The involvement of family and community members is vital to the reintegration process and is associated with soldier's having a more positive readjustment," said researcher Mark Swerdlik, an Illinois State psychology professor. "The Illinois Army National Guard is making significant efforts to assist soldiers and their families with the readjustment process. This study will help them to enhance their reintegration program so they can meet the needs of all returning soldiers and their families. We are especially grateful for the support of Lieutenant Colonel Joseph Schweickert and Second Lieutenant Justin Anweiler during this study."
"The collaboration between the National Guard and Illinois State has been extremely productive," said Second Lieutenant Justin Anweiler, Illinois Army National Guard reintegration project officer. "Illinois State's research has opened up new information that will help the Illinois National Guard prepare for and serve its returning veterans. It has been a pleasure to work with them and we look forward to future collaboration."
The research team from Illinois State consists of Psychology Department faculty members Mark Swerdlik, Adena Meyers and Joel Schneider and doctoral students Jake Linnell and Silas Dick. The team is currently working with the consulting firm ICF International to begin to establish a national database of what is most effective in reintegration programs to facilitate the readjustment of military personnel returning from war and their families.
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