Date of Conferral
4-1-2025
Date of Award
April 2025
Degree
Doctor of Psychology (Psy.D.)
School
Psychology
Advisor
Denise Horton
Abstract
Military reintegration presents significant challenges for service members returning home to civilian life. Previous research has indicated many reintegration challenges, including reintegration preparation, identity adjustment, and proactive intervention; however, there remains an essential gap in the literature regarding training for military commanders and how they can be updated to help better facilitate service members’ reintegration. Grounded in general systems theory, the purpose of this qualitative study was to ask about the lived experiences of military commanders on reintegration preparation training, regarding proactive intervention during deployment, and about identity adjustment issues upon reintegration. The participants comprised six active and retired military commanders and data were collected using semistructured interviews using an interpretative phenomenological analysis to develop emergent themes from their responses. Three themes emerged from these data, including inadequacy of training and resources, a need for targeted and individualized support systems, a lack of unit cohesion upon return and personal identity issues for service members when reintegrating back home. These findings contribute to the existing literature and could enhance social change initiatives by providing military commanders with more effective training resources to better support their members returning home from deployment, which could significantly impact their ability to help their squadron, battalion, or unit experience smoother reintegration transitions.
Recommended Citation
Jones, Chelsea, "Commanders’ Perspectives on Training, Intervention, and Identity Adjustment for Reintegration" (2025). Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies. 17551.
https://scholarworks.waldenu.edu/dissertations/17551
