Army Community Support Programs and Army Families: A Review of the Findings
Abstract
During the late 1980's soldiers and family members were asked a series of questions about the Army's social and recreational services in four world-wide surveys: the DoD Family Survey (1985), The Annual Survey of Army Families (1987), The RAND Corporation Survey (1987), and the Army Family Research Program or AFRP Survey (1989). Specifically, the respondents were asked whether they used given services, were satisfied with it, and what benefits they derived from such services. The purpose of this report is to provide insights into what these services actually do by contrasting what different groups of respondents (e.g., officers, enlisted soldiers, and spouses) and different surveys say about these services. In addition to summarizing the findings, the report also makes recommendations (where appropriate) for how to improve given services. General community services have much higher use than do the more "clinical" or services that are "targeted" to a special group. In general, spouses are more likely than soldiers to use Army services. Soldiers who used services were more likely to see their leaders as supportive of families than those who did not. Retention intentions were also related to satisfaction with the community, particularly among junior enlisted personnel.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Sep 01, 1998
- Accession Number
- ADA356094
Entities
People
- D. B. Bell
- Giao Tran
- Walter R. Schumm
Organizations
- U.S. Army Research Institute for the Behavioral and Social Sciences