The Impact of Deployment on Parental, Family and Child Adjustment in Military Families

Abstract

Since 9/11, military service in the United States has been characterized by wartime deployments and reintegration challenges that contribute to a context of stress for military families. Research indicates the negative impact of wartime deployment on the well being of service members, military spouses, and children. Yet, few studies have considered how parental deployments may affect adjustment in young children and their families. Using deployment records and parent-reported measures from primary caregiving (N = 680) and military (n = 310) parents, we examined the influence of deployment on adjustment in military families with children ages 0-10 years. Greater deployment exposure was related to impaired family functioning and marital instability. Parental depressive and posttraumatic stress symptoms were associated with impairments in social emotional adjustment in young children, increased anxiety in early childhood, and adjustment problems in school-age children. Conversely, parental sensitivity was associated with improved social and emotional outcomes across childhood. These findings provide guidance to developing preventive approaches for military families with young children.

Intergenerational examination of pain and posttraumatic stress disorder symptoms among youth with chronic pain and their parents

“…Parent PTSD has consistently been associated with parenting challenges (eg, less positive engagement and more parenting stress) as well as increased child PTSD and internalizing symptoms. 8 , 23 , 47 More recently, parent PTSD symptoms have been examined within samples of youth with chronic pain and have been shown to influence pain outcomes in youth. 29 Holley et al's.…”

Parenting with PTSD: A Review of Research on the Influence of PTSD on Parent-Child Functioning in Military and Veteran Families

“…Although children’s scores on depression and externalizing/internalizing (according to both parent and self-reports) were comparable to normative data; active duty parent PTSD symptoms predicted child depression, as well as internalizing and externalizing behaviors. Lester et al (2016) also examined the relationship between parental PTSD and children’s outcomes in a national probability sample comprising 150 active duty or reserve component service members with at least one child under the age of 10. The findings highlighted a small but significant association between military parental PTSD severity and preschool child separation anxiety, as well as increased emotional and behavioral problems in school-aged children.…”

Enhancing Family Stability During a Permanent Change of Station: A Review of Disruptions and Policies

“…The existing literature demonstrates that PCS moves and deployments generate similar disruptions to family stability (Angrist and Johnson, 2000;Chandra, Martin, et al, 2010;Chandra, Lara-Cinisomo, et al, 2010;Chartrand et al, 2008;Clever and Segal, 2013;DMDC Military Family Life Project, 2015;Drummet, Coleman, and Cable, 2003;Hosek and Wadsworth, 2013;Lester et al, 2016;Morgan, 1991;Richardson et al, 2011;SteelFisher, Zaslavsky, and Blendon, 2008; U.S. Chamber of Commerce, 2017). The associations between PCS moves and retention intentions discussed earlier might potentially be overstated, given that deployments and PCS moves are related to common problems that have been linked to service member retention intentions, either directly or indirectly.…”

“…In addition, deployments have been linked with spouse stress, spouse mental health, family functioning, and financial strain, as well as child behavioral outcomes and child stress (Chandra, Martin, et al, 2010;Chandra, Lara-Cinisomo, et al, 2010;Chartrand et al, 2008;DMDC Military Family Life Project, 2015;Drummet, Coleman, and Cable, 2003;Hosek and Wadsworth, 2013;Lester et al, 2016;Morgan, 1991;Richardson et al, 2011; U.S. Chamber of Commerce, 2017). Above, we documented that spouse satisfaction is negatively correlated with stress, anxiety, and adverse child outcomes.…”