Risk and resilience in military families experiencing deployment: The role of the family attachment network.

Abstract

Deployment separation constitutes a significant stressor for U.S. military men and women and their families. Many military personnel return home struggling with physical and/or psychological injuries that challenge their ability to reintegrate and contribute to marital problems, family dysfunction, and emotional or behavioral disturbance in spouses and children. Yet research examining the psychological health and functioning of military families is scarce and rarely driven by developmental theory. The primary purpose of this theoretical paper is to describe a family attachment network model of military families during deployment and reintegration that is grounded in attachment theory and family systems theory. This integrative perspective provides a solid empirical foundation and a comprehensive account of individual and family risk and resilience during military-related separations and reunions. The proposed family attachment network model will inform future research and intervention efforts with service members and their families.

Family systems approach to attachment relations, war trauma, and mental health among Palestinian children and parents

“…It contributes to the family-related trauma research by showing the importance of a whole family approach that includes parents, children, siblings, and societal context (Riggs & Riggs, 2011). It would be fruitful to further analyse the perceptions, experiences, and mental health of mothers, fathers, and multiple siblings living in war areas in order to further develop the body of family systems-informed trauma research.…”

“…Research has found complex dynamics in attachment relations and identified several ways that family members show vulnerability and resilience in the face of traumatic events (Besser & Neria, 2010; Freedman, Gilad, Ankri, Roziner, & Shalev, 2015). A family’s atmosphere, values, beliefs, relational scripts, codes, histories, and emotional sharing all influence family members’ responses to trauma (Riggs & Riggs, 2011; Walsh, 2007). Family systems theories provide insight into family members’ dynamic social and mental health responses to stress, including compensatory, buffering, and additive dynamics (Davies & Cicchetti, 2004; Minuchin, 1974).…”

“…Family systems and attachment-informed research is available on military families, especially American veterans of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars (Pemberton, Kramer, Borrego, & Owen, 2013; Riggs & Riggs, 2011) and Israeli soldiers, veterans, and prisoners of war (Cohen, Zerach, & Solomon, 2011; Ein-Dor, Doron, Solomon, Mikulincer, & Shaver, 2010; Zerach, Greene, Ein-Dor, & Solomon, 2012). These studies found negative family dynamics, especially when the veteran parents had PTSD.…”

Relationship Difficulties Among U.K. Military Personnel: Impact of Sociodemographic, Military, and Deployment-Related Factors

“…Anderson et al (2011) report in their investigation of U.S. Army soldiers that 82% were satisfied or very satisfied with their marriages. Riggs and Riggs' (2011) theoretical study investigating resilience in military families in terms of a family attachment network model states that over the last 10 years most veterans and families in the United States have demonstrated a positive adaptation during and after operational deployment. Sheppard et al (2010) report in their literature review that a wealth of literature supports the idea that military families are generally resilient.…”

Boundary Ambiguity and Ambivalence in Military Family Reintegration

“…There is also limited information about the factors that differentiate those families who do well from those who do not. In this area, too, there are conceptual models that need to be tested (Adler, Zamorski, & Britt, 2011;S. Riggs & D. Riggs, 2011).…”