Patterns of adaptation among Army wives during Operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm.

During the Operation Desert Shield/Storm (ODS) deployment, there was a perception among volunteers and professionals providing services and support to families that while most spouses were able to handle the stress, some younger spouses coped poorly. A cluster analysis using data from a mailed survey conducted during ODS confirmed that there were groups of younger spouses experiencing high levels of emotional distress. In addition, the study found that there was a group of older spouses with similar problems. Sociodemographic characteristics such as ethnic group and employment status, expectations of the Army, and unsatisfactory use of services discriminated among clusters. Groups with high levels of distress also had the highest levels of unsatisfactory use of services and the highest expectations of the Army.