Risk and Protective Factors Associated With Adjustment to Military Relocation: A Pilot Study

Military relocations represent an opportunity for growth and a potential risk in terms of psychological adjustment. Although relocation is common in the military, little research has examined associated risk and protective factors. This study examined relocation stressors and facilitators and how they related to 3 forms of adjustment: loneliness, perceived stress, and work satisfaction. Since the first relocation experience may be particularly challenging, this study also compared relocation stressors and facilitators between soldiers arriving at their first duty station and those with previous relocation experience.

Active duty soldiers (n = 242) at 2 U.S. military installations participated in an anonymous survey on military relocation. Relocation risk and protective factors were assessed using the Relocation Stressor Scale and the Relocation Facilitator Scale developed for this study. Primary outcomes included loneliness, perceived stress, and work satisfaction. To examine the extent to which the relocation stressor and facilitator scales predicted adjustment outcomes, hierarchical multiple regressions were conducted accounting for rank, marital status, having children, and first duty station.

Over half of participants rated relocation stressors related to affordable housing, loss of social support, moving logistics, and adjustment of the soldier's family and spouse as at least "somewhat stressful." Regarding relocation facilitators, a majority agreed that leaders and unit members were helpful after relocation. However, less than half reported that leaders and unit members were welcoming before relocation and only 1 in 3 reported their sponsor was helpful. Relocation stressors predicted more loneliness, more perceived stress, and less work satisfaction after adjusting for rank, marital status, having children, and first duty station. Likewise, relocation facilitators predicted less loneliness, less perceived stress, and more work satisfaction, after adjusting for the same demographics. Soldiers at their first duty station of assignment also reported higher levels of relocation stressors than those with prior relocation experience (P < .001); there was no difference between these 2 groups in terms of relocation facilitators (P = .297).

The findings offer insight into relocation stressors and facilitators and suggest the need to consider the stress of relocation from both a practical standpoint and an emotional one. Since the association between relocation variables and adjustment was evident even after accounting for rank, marital status, children, and first duty station, the results also suggest that intervening to address relocation stressors and enhance the level of relocation facilitators is important regardless of a soldier's specific demographics. Nonetheless, soldiers experiencing their first relocation may understandably require more support in addressing their relocation stressors. While limited by cross-sectional self-report data from only 2 military posts, this study produced the first military Relocation Stressor Scale and Relocation Facilitator Scale. Taken together, results suggest steps that leaders, unit members, and the organization can take to help incoming soldiers better adjust to their new unit.