The Parenting Cycle of Deployment

Abstract

Parents of dependent children comprise approximately 42% of Active Duty and National Guard/Reserve military members serving in Operation Iraqi Freedom/Operation Enduring Freedom. Recent estimates indicate that more than two million children have experienced parental deployment since the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001. This article seeks to characterize the impact of the deployment life cycle on parenting roles among service members and at-home partners/caregivers of dependent children. Specifically, a new conceptual framework is presented for considering the ways in which parenting and co-parenting processes are affected by the demands and transitions inherent in contemporary deployment to a war zone. Although the phase-based emotional cycle of deployment continues to offer an instructive description of the broad challenges faced by military couples, a parenting cycle of deployment model shifts the perspective to the critical and largely ignored processes of parenting in the context of deployment and war, and to the realities faced by parents serving in the U.S. military. Implications for prevention, intervention, and future research related to military families are addressed.

Women in the National Guard: Experiences with children during deployment

“…The second category, Sense of Loss, correlates with what has been reported in previous studies (Boyd et al, 2013;DeVoe & Ross, 2012). Similar to these findings, the participants in this study described a wide range of stressors and emotions while deployed.…”

“…Notably, the reintegration process is considered difficult for the returning service member even without the complications that arise when coping with mental health issues. For female and male soldiers, concerns reported include disrupted communication patterns, losing one's role in the family, conflicts with family members when assuming one's old family role, missed important milestones in the children's lives, and difficulties retaining a strong child-parent relationship (Bey & Lange, 1974, cited in Kelley, Herzog-Simmer, & Harris, 1994Boyd et al, 2013;DeVoe & Ross, 2012). The literature is less thorough in explicating the unique experience of deployed female soldiers, though it is evident that contextual and demographic factors may compound family difficulties during reintegration.…”

Human–Animal Interaction as a Context for Thriving and Coping in Military-Connected Youth: The Role of Pets During Deployment

“…Supporting parents' skills in nurturing their children's needs during the deployment period can be useful in promoting positive outcomes (Amen, 1988). Seeking help from a mental health professional prior to and during deployment can also help strengthen the family's capacity to function positively during both deployment and the reintegration process (DeVoe & Ross, 2012).…”

Boundary Ambiguity and Ambivalence in Military Family Reintegration

“…Despite theoretical literature suggesting family functioning improves the longer a service member has been home, this effect was not an entirely surprising one and offers support for the idea of the "honeymoon" period that is mentioned anecdotally in several conceptual or review articles (e.g., Boyd et al, 2012;Devoe & Ross, 2012). MacDermid (2006), in a qualitative study of reservists and their spouses or parents that took place early in the course of the GWOT, found that about half of the partners or parents endorsed a "honeymoon" period in which well-being was initially high upon the service member's return, followed by a reduction and eventual improvement in well-being.…”