U.S. Military Children and the Wartime Deployments of Family Members

Wadsworth, Shelley MacDermid; Bailey, Keisha M.; Coppola, Elizabeth C.

doi:10.1111/cdep.12210

Cited by 18 publications

(3 citation statements)

References 36 publications

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“…Disparities between military and non-military children were explained by mediating and moderating factors, such as the degree of social support available to the military child and the non-deployed parent (Moeller et al, 2015;Wadsworth et al, 2017), deployment length, and number of relocations (Moeller et al, 2015). However, it should be noted that the specific parent's military occupation (e.g., soldier, engineer, information technology professional, or aviator) may introduce variability in these outcomes.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 98%

Children’s Social, Emotional, and Behavioral Outcomes in Military Families: A Rapid Review

Opie,

Hameed,

Vuong

et al. 2024

J Child Fam Stud

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In light of ongoing global military conflicts, including the Israel-Hamas war and the Russia-Ukraine war, it is imperative to study the effects of parental military service and deployment on the health and well-being of children within military families. Emerging evidence suggests that children with a parent in service appear to face unique developmental challenges associated with the military lifestyle, which differ from those experienced by civilian children. However, there is currently limited systematic research that compares the developmental outcomes of children with serving parents to their civilian peers. Therefore, the aim of this review is to synthesize existing literature on the behavioral, social, emotional, and educational functioning of children with currently serving parents in defense forces, in comparison to their civilian counterparts. This rapid systematic review was conducted in accordance with the Joanna Briggs Institute methodology framework, the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses, and Cochrane Rapid Review methodological recommendations The following databases were searched: Medline, PsycINFO, CINAHL, and Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials. Relevant online databases were searched from February 2012 to 2022 to examine the contemporary literature. Fourteen identified published quantitative studies were identified. No qualitative studies were found, and no study reported on academic outcomes. Despite considerable sample heterogeneity across studies, military children of all ages appear to be a particularly vulnerable population. Findings suggest that children in military families experience substantially higher risk for negative psychological, social, and behavioral health outcomes than their civilian counterparts, with parental deployment increasing risk across all developmental stages (i.e., early, middle, and late childhood). Among these age groups, adolescents of currently serving members showed highest risk, particularly concerning suicidal ideation and suicidal behaviors. Implications are discussed in terms of early detection, preventative interventions, and support services for families and children with a serving parent. PROSPERO registration: CRD42022313999.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 98%

Children’s Social, Emotional, and Behavioral Outcomes in Military Families: A Rapid Review

Opie,

Hameed,

Vuong

et al. 2024

J Child Fam Stud

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“…Over the years, numerous studies, mainly from the US, have extensively explored the impacts of military service on soldier's family, primarily focusing on spouses and children (Cramm et al, 2019;Godier-Mcbard et al, 2019;Senior et al, 2023;Yablonsky et al, 2016). Military families undergo adjustment periods before, during, and after military service (Yablonsky et al, 2016) with heightened risks for mental health and behavioral concerns in both spouses and children (Cramm et al, 2019;Godier-Mcbard et al, 2019;MacDermid Wadsworth et al, 2017). Limited research on parents of service members suggests that their emotional experiences differ from those of spouses and children (Crow et al, 2016).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Being a parent of a soldier is a challenging experience – stress, anxiety, and depression among parents of Israeli soldiers

Savitsky,

Shvartsur

2024

Stress and Health

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At any given moment, a notable proportion of parents worldwide have at least one child serving in the military. The aim of this study is to assess the prevalence of depression, anxiety, and stress in the sample of parents of Israeli soldiers and to assess the difference in this prevalence by type of service (combat vs. non‐combat) and other demographic characteristics of parents and soldiers. A cross‐sectional study of a convenience sample of 202 Israeli parents who were interviewed during January‐September 2023. Depression Anxiety Stress Scale (DASS‐21) was used to measure the emotional states of depression, anxiety, and stress (with cut‐off points of ≥5, ≥4, and ≥8, respectively). Having depression, anxiety, or stress was defined as psychological distress. Parents' demographics and child's service characteristics were included in the multivariable logistic regression model, with psychological distress as a dependent variable. Almost a quarter (22.8%) of parents experienced distress, defined as having high depression, anxiety, or stress score. In a multivariable model, combat service (vs. non‐combat) was significantly associated with distress: parents of combat soldiers were four times more likely to report distress than parents of non‐combat soldiers (OR = 3.9; 95% CI: 1.3–11.8). Highly classified service preventing the child from sharing information with the parents was significantly associated with distress (OR = 2.6; 95% CI: 1.2–5.3). Most distressed parents (78.3%) did not seek professional help, with the vast majority of those seeking assistance were female. Given the substantial proportion of parents suffering from mental distress found in this study, especially parents of combat soldiers and those serving in highly classified positions, healthcare professionals should be aware of parents' difficulties, be proactive in gathering information about their mental well‐being, and be prepared to provide professional help.

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“…Existing evidence shows that deployment-related stressors are associated with poor child adjustment via impaired parenting practices (Gewirtz, DeGarmo, & Zamir, 2018b). It is not surprising that children of deployed parents have been found to be at higher risk for emotional and behavioral problems compared to their civilian counterparts (Wadsworth, Bailey, & Coppola, 2017). Although research on military families has increased rapidly in the past decade, less research has focused on parenting in this population (Gewirtz & Youssef, 2016).…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Improving parental emotion socialization in military families: Results of a randomized controlled trial.

Zhang¹,

Zhang²,

Gewirtz³

et al. 2018

Journal of Family Psychology

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Prior research indicates that children of deployed parents are at risk for emotional problems, suggesting the utility of preventive efforts for military families. Effective parental socialization of children's emotions is protective for children's development, and parental experiential avoidance may impede parental emotion socialization, yet intervention studies in this area are lacking. This study examined the impact of a parenting program, After Deployment Adaptive Parenting Tools (ADAPT), on parental emotion socialization postintervention (6 months postbaseline) and whether intervention effects were moderated by parental experiential avoidance. The sample included 336 families (294 fathers and 313 mothers) with at least 1 deployed parent and a focal child aged 4-12. Families were randomized into either ADAPT (a 14-week group-based intervention) or control group. Self-reported data on parental emotion socialization and experiential avoidance were analyzed using structural equation modeling. Results showed that mothers who were assigned to the intervention had significant improved supportive emotion socialization and reduced nonsupportive emotion socialization at postintervention compared with controls. Mothers with higher levels of experiential avoidance assigned to the intervention group had higher levels of supportive emotion socialization at postintervention. No significant intervention effects were found in fathers. This study provides support for the effects of the ADAPT program on maternal emotion socialization at 6-month postbaseline, and the role of experiential avoidance as a moderator. We discuss findings in relation to the different parental roles that mothers and fathers play in postdeployed families, as well as implications for personalized intervention programming. (PsycINFO Database Record

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U.S. Military Children and the Wartime Deployments of Family Members

Cited by 18 publications

References 36 publications

Children’s Social, Emotional, and Behavioral Outcomes in Military Families: A Rapid Review

Children’s Social, Emotional, and Behavioral Outcomes in Military Families: A Rapid Review

Being a parent of a soldier is a challenging experience – stress, anxiety, and depression among parents of Israeli soldiers

Improving parental emotion socialization in military families: Results of a randomized controlled trial.

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