Military Retirement: The Spouse Experience at the MCT

This descriptive qualitative study aimed to understand the experiences of spouses as they transition out of the military alongside an active duty service member due to retirement. Current research highlights the stress that is involved for the retiring service member and even that of the family unit, however, there is little research available which explores the experiences of spouses as they transition from the military to civilian life alongside an active duty service member at retirement. The literature review brought to light this gap in research as it explored the military experience from both the active duty service member and spouse perspective. The methodology used for this descriptive qualitative design is thematic analysis. Semi-structured interviews took place to capture the unique needs and stressors that are experienced by spouses during the military to civilian transition at the time of active duty service member retirement. Three themes were identified for each research question: RQ1- Lack of Awareness of Information, Procedures and Supports, Transitions Across Multiple Domains and Changes to Healthcare; RQ2- Transition Support, Planning and Preparation and A Need for Information. The identification of these themes will provide value to stakeholders and military spouses who are nearing the military to civilian transition with their retiring service member spouse. The results of this study emphasize the importance of targeted program development for the spouses of retiring service members to address the unique needs and stressors that are often experienced.