9780833058744 (pbk. : alk. paper)

0833058746 (pbk. : alk. paper)

"Prepared for the Office of the Secretary of Defense."

"National Defense Research Institute."

Rand Corporation monograph series ; MG-1124-OSD

Machine generated contents note: ch. One Introduction and Study Overview

ch. Two Background: DoD's Policy Toward Military Members and Their Families over Time

DoD Commitment to Military Families Has Grown Significantly Since World War I

Evidence Linking Support to Military Personnel and Families to Outcomes Is Limited

Understanding Family Needs Is a Central Feature of Today's DoD Policy

Limitations in Approaches to Learning About Service Member and Family Needs Lead to a New Approach

Resource Allocation Data Analyses Are Unable to Control for Influential Factors Not Captured in the Datasets

Quasi-Experimental Evaluations of Programs

Surveys of Service Members and Spouses Have Not Placed Service Member and Family Needs at the Center

Focus Groups and Face-to-Face Interview Studies: Impractical for Large-Scale Data Collection

A Framework for a New Approach

ch. Three Development of the Service Member and Family Needs Survey

Concept for a New Needs-Focused Survey Instrument

Subject Matter Experts Inform Framework and Survey Content

Drawing on Previous Research to Inform the Survey Development

Deployment-Related Issues

Predeployment

Deployment

Postdeployment Family Reunification

Ensuring That the Framework, Content, and Method Fits Today's Families: Focus Groups with Soldiers, Marines, Spouses, and Support Providers

Brainstorming Approach

Participant-Recommended Study Methods

Conclusion

ch. Four Developing the Service Member and Family Needs Survey Structure

Problems in the Past Year

Needs Linked to Greatest Problems

Characteristics of Military and Nonmilitary Resources Used and Not Used to Meet the Greatest Needs

Ability of Resources to Meet Greatest Needs for Greatest Problems

Projected Impact of Loss of Resources

Outcome Indicators: Satisfaction and Desire to Remain in the Military

Conclusion

ch. Five Testing, Refining, and Assessing the Relative Value of a Prototype Instrument

Testing the Instrument with Soldiers, Marines, and Spouses

What We Learned

The Average Length of Time to Complete the Survey Was Within Our Goals

The Problems and Needs Lists Needed Additional Development

The Most Common Routes to the Survey Varied

All Eligible Respondents Chose to Complete the Survey Online, Rather Than to Call In

Most Participants Reported No or Few Competing Requests for Research Participation

Participants Likely Differ Demographically from the Population, but DoD Demographic Data on Spouses Are Limited

Revising the Instrument

Assessing the Contribution of the Sample Survey Instrument

Survey Paradigm

Comparing Surveys by Determining How Well They Describe a Hypothetical Family

Conclusion

ch. Six Implementation Challenges

Challenges to Obtaining Adequate Survey Participation

Access

Reaching Spouses

Sampling Challenges

Dissemination Challenges and the Air Force Climate Survey Model

ch. Seven Potential Contributions of the New Methodology

Information for Leaders and Decisionmakers

Unit Commanders

Service Providers

Base Commanders

Military Departments and DoD

Other Applications of the Framework

Conclusion

APPENDIXES

A.Sample Survey of Service Member and Family Needs

B.Focus Group Protocols.

Families of military personnel > Services for > United States.

Military spouses > Services for > United States.

Military dependents > Services for > United States.

Needs assessment > United States.

United States. Department of Defense. Office of the Secretary of Defense.

National Defense Research Institute (U.S.)

Rand Corporation.