Mothers going to war: The role of nurse practitioners in the care of military mothers and families during deployment

Agazio, Janice; Hillier, Shannon L.; Throop, Meryia; Goodman, Petra; Padden, Diane; Greiner, Shawna; Turner, Annette

doi:10.1111/j.1745-7599.2012.00811.x

Cited by 12 publications

(6 citation statements)

References 8 publications

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“…Family, and the definition of family, has changed over time, and the perspectives of multiple different family structures have been insufficientlly studied. The deployment of military mothers is a relatively recent phenomenon (Makekau, ), which is just beginning to be explored (Agazio et al, ). More research is needed with female AD members and male civilian spouses, with non‐partnered AD mothers, and with families where both parents are in the military.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Hard is Normal: Military Families' Transitions Within the Process of Deployment

Yablonsky

Barbero

Richardson

2015

Research in Nursing & Health

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US military deployments have become more frequent and lengthier in duration since 2003. Over half of US military members are married, and many also have children. The authors sought to understand the process of deployment from the perspective of the military family. After a thorough search of the literature, 21 primary research reports of 19 studies with an aggregate sample of 874 were analyzed using qualitative metasynthesis. The deployment process was experienced in four temporal domains. The military family as a whole shared the pre-deployment transition: all family members felt uncertain about the future, needed to complete tasks to "get ready" for deployment, and experienced a sense of distancing in preparation for the upcoming separation. The AD member went through the deployment transition independently, needing to "stay engaged" with the military mission, building a surrogate family and simultaneously trying to maintain connection with the family at home. In parallel, the home front family was going through a transposement transition, moving forward as an altered family unit, taking on new roles and responsibilities, and trying to simultaneously connect with the deployed member and find support from other military families. In post-deployment, the family went through the "reintegration" transition together, managing expectations, and readjusting family roles, all needing understanding and appreciation for their sacrifices during the recent separation. Effective family communication was important for military family well-being after deployment but unexpectedly challenging for many. Clinical, research, and policy recommendations are discussed.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Hard is Normal: Military Families' Transitions Within the Process of Deployment

Yablonsky

Barbero

Richardson

2015

Research in Nursing & Health

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“…Reintegration experiences of National Guard/Reserve mothers of young children A number of recent studies have analyzed the effects of parents' deployment on individual and family functioning, and some of the contextual factors that affect service member parents' experiences during reintegration (Creech et al, 2014). However, very few have explored the specific experiences of women and mothers, and no studies to date have focused on the mothering experiences of reintegrating National Guard and Reserve (NG/R) servicewomen (Agazio et al, 2012;Gewirtz, McMorris, Hanson &;Davis, 2014;Kelley et al, 2002;Segal & Lane, 2016;Walsh, 2017). With an increasing number of women serving in the U.S. military, and given servicewoman mothers' distinctive characteristics and needs, it will be important to develop a more nuanced understanding of their unique reintegration experiences.…”

Section: Thrown Backmentioning

confidence: 99%

Thrown back: Reintegration experiences of National Guard/Reserve mothers of young children

Nicholson

DeVoe

2020

Child & Family Social Work

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Few studies have examined the experiences and perceptions of servicewoman mothers and their children, even as an increasing number of them have experienced deployment and combat exposure. The present paper describes a qualitative study that explored National Guard/Reserve (NG/R) mothers' experiences with mothering and coparenting during reintegration, and their perceived priorities, supports, challenges and needs. Interpretive phenomenological analysis of seven in-depth qualitative interviews produced themes including reunion and loneliness, the importance of time, help seeking, and gendered experiences. Notably, all participants transitioned immediately back into primary caregiver roles upon homecoming, and several described how difficult it was to readjust while privately dealing with unmet mental health needs. Findings underscore the importance of a flexible suite of service options that meet key needs, most importantly child care, social-emotional support for children, and peer-based parenting support specific to servicewoman mothers. For NG/R mothers, who may live far from base, community-based services are essential, but as participants described, civilian social workers and other professionals must develop specialized knowledge, skills and experience to provide appropriate support.

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“…A small body of research has begun to elucidate some of the serious challenges facing mothers in particular over the course of the deployment cycle. Mothers who are deployed have reported symptoms of distress (Gewirtz et al., ), depression and anxiety (Kelley et al., ), and disconnection from family (Agazio et al., ). Agazio and colleagues () found that deployed mothers deeply feared that their children would not recognize them, or would relate to them differently, during reintegration, and that many felt distant from their families on returning from deployment.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Mothers who are deployed have reported symptoms of distress (Gewirtz et al., ), depression and anxiety (Kelley et al., ), and disconnection from family (Agazio et al., ). Agazio and colleagues () found that deployed mothers deeply feared that their children would not recognize them, or would relate to them differently, during reintegration, and that many felt distant from their families on returning from deployment. In another study with Navy mothers, single deployed mothers reported the highest levels of depressive symptomatology following deployment as compared with married deployed and nondeployed mothers (Kelley et al., ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Mothering very young children after wartime deployment: A case report

Acker

Nicholson

DeVoe

2020

Infant Mental Health Journal

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Parenting very young children in the context of military service, deployment separations, and war-related trauma can be challenging for many families. Female active duty personnel represent one of the fastest growing segments of the military, and recent policy changes have led women to pursue serving in combat positions at much higher rates. While not much is known about service member mothers, some studies have shown that they experience significant symptoms of distress, depression, and anxiety during the deployment cycle, feelings of disconnection from family during reintegration, and higher rates of childhood trauma histories than their male counterparts. Service member mothers who experience the combined stressors of deployment separation, combat exposure, and adverse childhood experiences-a triple threat-may be at serious risk of posttraumatic stress and depressive symptomatology, which can negatively influence the quality and nature of their parenting and parent-child relationships. This case report describes the participation of a young single service member mother and her preschool-aged daughter in a home-based, reintegration program designed for military families with very young children (ages 0-5). The paper illustrates how this relationship-based, reflective parenting intervention was effective in increasing the mother's sense of competence in her parenting and strengthening the parent-child relationship. K E Y W O R D Sdeployment, intervention development, reflective parenting, reintegration, service member mothers RESUMEN Criar a niños muy pequeños en el contexto del servicio militar, las separaciones debido a asignaciones militares de trabajo y el trauma relacionado con la guerra pueden representar un reto para muchas familias. Las mujeres, como miembros del personal activo con asignaciones militares, representan uno de los segmentos que aumentan más rápidamente dentro del campo militar, y los cambios recientes en las regulaciones han llevado a las mujeres a dedicarse al servicio en posiciones de combate en porcentajes mucho más altos. Aunque no mucho se sabe acerca de las madres que son miembros del servicio militar, algunos estudios han mostrado que ellas experimentan síntomas significativos de angustia, depresión y ansiedad durante el ciclo de asignación militar de trabajo, sentimientos de desconexión de la familia durante la reintegración, y más altos porcentajes de historias de trauma en la niñez que sus compañeros varones. Las mujeres en el servicio militar que experimentan la combinación de factores de estrés por la separación debido a la asignación de trabajo, el estar expuestas al combate, y las adversas experiencias de la niñez -una triple amenaza -pudieran encontrarse bajo un serio riesgo de estrés

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Mothers going to war: The role of nurse practitioners in the care of military mothers and families during deployment

Abstract: NPs are ideally positioned to support military families. During deployment, the NP's focus may shift to care of the children and their caregiver. Before and at reintegration, NPs are in a key position to intervene early for posttraumatic stress and support family readjustment.

Cited by 12 publications

References 8 publications

Hard is Normal: Military Families' Transitions Within the Process of Deployment

Hard is Normal: Military Families' Transitions Within the Process of Deployment

Thrown back: Reintegration experiences of National Guard/Reserve mothers of young children

Mothering very young children after wartime deployment: A case report

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