Godier-McBard Lauren R, Caddick Nick, Fossey Matt
Veterans and Families Institute for Military Social Research, Anglia Ruskin University, Chelmsford, UK.
Mil Psychol. 2020 Feb 24;32(3):273-286. doi: 10.1080/08995605.2020.1731251. eCollection 2020.
Military spouses face numerous challenges in obtaining employment as a result of their connection to the military. Previous research has linked military spouses underemployment to reduced well-being and satisfaction with military life, which in turn impacts on retention of the service person. In response to this the UK Ministry of Defence (MOD) trialed a 2 year programme of employment support for spouses in 2015. This paper reports the findings of a qualitative evaluation of this programme and its impact on spouses. Interviews were carried out with 30 spouses and 23 of their serving partners to examine the benefits and impact of the support provided. The majority of spouses and their serving partners perceived the employment support as providing a positive contribution from the military to help spouses get back into employment or improve their employability. Additionally, spouses felt invested in by the military and valued as constituents in their own right. No impact of employment support for spouses on the intention to remain or leave the Armed Forces was identified. Longitudinal follow up will be required to determine any long-term impact of employment support on employment outcomes and retention.
由于与军队的关联，军属在就业方面面临诸多挑战。先前的研究已将军属就业不足与幸福感降低以及对军旅生活的满意度下降联系起来，而这反过来又会影响军人的留任意愿。对此，英国国防部（MOD）于2015年试行一项为期两年的军属就业支持计划。本文报告了对该计划及其对军属影响的定性评估结果。对30名军属及其23名现役配偶进行了访谈，以考察所提供支持的益处和影响。大多数军属及其现役配偶认为就业支持是军队做出的积极贡献，有助于军属重新就业或提高其就业能力。此外，军属感到受到军队的重视，并因其自身价值而被视为重要群体。未发现军属就业支持对军人留队或退伍意愿有任何影响。需要进行纵向跟踪，以确定就业支持对就业结果和留任意愿的任何长期影响。
