Children of National Guard Troops Deployed in the Global War on Terrorism

This study examined deployment effects in children and spouses of National Guard troops using a longitudinal design to assess 18 children (ages 6 to 17 years) and 13 non-deployed spouses before, during, and after deployment. Both self- and parent reports revealed that children of deployed service personnel experienced emotional and behavioral symptoms during the deployment of their fathers relative to pre- and post-deployment. The children's worry and uncertainty, along with aspects of family interactions, may give rise to ambiguous loss associated with deployment in military families.