Family Adjustment to Relocation

Moving with the military: Race, class, and gender differences in the employment consequences of tied migration

“…On average, military members move about once every two to three years (GAO 2001b;Croan, Levine, and Blankinship 1992), although the length of time a soldier may spend at any given assigrmient can vary significantly (e.g., from six months to over six years). A recent GAO (2001b) report found that the average duration between moves during an active duty soldier's career was less than one year for 20% of active duty personnel, between one and two years for 29% of soldiers, between two and three years for 29% of soldiers, between three and four years for 13%) of soldiers, and more than four years One should note, however, that: "permanently assigned" or a "permanent change of station" (PCS) does not imply that a soldier and his or her family will never move again-permanent is defined by the military as being an assignment lasting six months or more (e.g., a one-year assignment would be considered a permanent assignment).…”

“…In 1998, there were over 730,000 moves made in the military (MFRC 1999). On average, military members move about once every two to three years (Croan, Levine, and Blankinship 1992;GAO 2001b), although the length of time a soldier may spend at any given assignment can vary significantly (e.g., from six months to over six years).…”

The Impact of Military Lifestyle Demands on Well-Being, Army, and Family Outcomes

“…To accomplish the Army's mission, geographic mobility on the part of soldiers and their families is expected, and relocation occurs, on average, every two to three years. 8 In the most recent Survey of Army Families (SAF IV), Orthner reports that in the twelve months prior to the SAF IV survey, 31 percent of Army spouses experienced a relocation with the frequency of relocation being highest among spouses of junior enlisted and company grade officers. 9 These relocations can disrupt family life, friendships, and other supportive relationships in the present community and necessitate the seeking and development of new relationships in a new community.…”

Military Mothers

“…Although relocation may be one of the attractions for joining the military for young or single personnel, for those with dependents this can be stressful. Studies within the US Armed Forces highlight correlations between relocation stress and family adaptation, with 26% reporting severe adjustment issues (Croan, LeVine & Blankinship, 1992) and 10% claiming relocation to be their most prominent reason to leave the Forces, especially if it procures work-family conflicts, this is exacerbated by unanticipated deployment, unpreparedness and extra childcare costs (Bell & Schumm, 1999). Recognition of relocation stress amongst UK Service personnel and their families is reflected in the MoD's decision to review the New Employment Model (NEM) which aims to reduce the frequency of moves, enhancing stability and support for Service families (MoD, 2014d;Strachan et al, 2010).…”