An introduction to the special section on U.S. Military operations: Effects on military members' partners and children.

Abstract

The deployment of U.S. military personnel to global hot spots, whether as combatants or as peacekeepers, has increased attention to the psychological well-being of military personnel and their family members. Despite the growing awareness that deployments have reverberating effects on all family members, theoretical explanations and empirical research on the impact of deployment on couple, family, and child adjustment, factors that serve to protect families from the demands of military employment, and effective methods of treating the mental health needs of military families are needed. The seven papers in this section increase our understanding of how the demands of U.S. military operations impact couples, family functioning, parenting, and child psychological adjustment and provide an additional resource for mental health professionals who work with these families.

After Deployment, Adaptive Parenting Tools: 1-Year Outcomes of an Evidence-Based Parenting Program for Military Families Following Deployment

“…Indeed, data indicate that military children are as well-adjusted as their civilian peers (Park, 2011). However, increasing evidence indicates that a parent’s deployment to war is associated with risks to child and partner adjustment (Kelley & Jouriles, 2011). Deployment of a parent is associated with parenting challenges for both the deployed and the non-deployed parents (Creech, Hadley, & Borsari, 2014) and increased rates of anxiety, depression, and substance use in youth (Sullivan et al, 2015).…”

The Impact of Parental Operational Stress Injury on Child Mental Health and Well-Being: A Scoping Review

“…The literature strongly reports that exclusive focus on the individual living with OSI is problematic (Arata-Maiers & Stafford, 2010;Brannen, Grandia, Stewart, Zahradnik, & McGrath, 2008;Catani, 2010;Cozza, Haskins, et al, 2013;Dinshtein et al, 2011;Gorman et al, 2010;Holmes et al, 2013;Kelley & Jouriles, 2011;Lester, 2012;Park, 2011;Smith-Osborne & Felderhoff, 2014). It is critical that the focus shift toward a familycentered service delivery system (Cohen et al, 2011;Cozza, 2011;Cozza, Holmes, et al, 2013;Danish & Antonides, 2013;Dinshtein et al, 2011;Gorman et al, 2010;Lambert et al, 2014;Lester et al, 2010;McFarlane, 2009;Walsh et al, 2014) that can provide parallel services to individuals, spouses, couples, and children (Boricevic Mar sanic, Aukst Margetic, Jukic, et al, 2014;Boricevic Mar sanic, Aukst Margetic, Zecevic, et al, 2014;Cozza, 2011;Esposito-Smythers et al, 2011;Guzman, 2014;Holmes et al, 2013;Pearrow & Cosgrove, 2009;Pedras & Pereira, 2014;Sammons & Batten, 2008).…”

Effects of a Military Parenting Program on Parental Distress and Suicidal Ideation: After Deployment Adaptive Parenting Tools

“…While belonging to a military family is not associated with any heightened mental health challenges, deployment of a parent is a family stressor associated with increased risk for adjustment difficulties in the service member, at‐home partner, and child(ren) (Kelley & Jouriles, ). Families with a deployed parent face long separations, uncertainty about the parent's safety, disruptions in communication, and worries during the deployment period.…”