Publication year
2016
Citation Title
Effect of multiple deployments on military families: A cross-sectional study of health and well-being of partners and children
Journal Name
Military Medicine
Journal Volume
181
Issue Number
4
Page Numbers
319-327
DOI
10.7205/MILMED-D-14-00310
Summary
Military families that experience multiple deployment usually face unique challenges. This study examined the association between multiple deployment and family health of Australian Defense Force (ADF) members by having their partners answer self-report surveys. Results suggested that the adverse effects of parental absence due to deployment on children may accrue as the number of deployments increased.
Key Findings
No correlation was found between the physical and mental health of the partner and the number of deployments the partner experienced while in the relationship.
Children who experienced more deployments were more likely to have behavioral difficulties and less likely to show prosocial behaviors.
Children’s negative behaviors were highest when they experienced more than three deployments.
Implications for Program Leaders
Offer support groups for military spouses that promote healthy coping and family well-being
Develop after-school activities for military children that encourage them to express their feelings associated with parental deployment, as well as teach them about effective coping skills
Create family activities that allow Service members and their children to engage with each other and express feelings about deployment
Implications for Policy Makers
Continue to offer support to military children so that they develop effective coping strategies associated with their parents’ deployment
Raise awareness of the potential behavioral outcomes of military children when their parents experience multiple deployment
Recommend professionals who work with military families monitor partners’ and children’s physical and mental health during deployment of the Service member
Methods
Participants were selected from nominal rolls of all ADF members who were deployed between 1999 and 2010; of the 3,866 participants selected, 1,332 (36%) consented to their partners being contacted for the research.
Partners answered a self-report survey about their physical and mental health, the Service members’ deployment history, and the emotions and behaviors of their children aged between 4 and 17 years.
The association between military service and family health was examined.
Participants
The sample included 1,332 ADF partners (Mean age = 41.70 years, SD = 9), and 86% of them were female.
The military branches that the ADF members served in were Australian Army (59%), Royal Australian Air Force (22%), and Royal Australian Navy (19%); the majority of the ADF members were non-commissioned officers (58%), followed by commissioned officers (35%), and lower ranks (7%).
The race of the participants were not specified in the article.
Limitations
The researchers needed ADF members’ consent to contact their partners, therefore the partners who were in the study may only represent a specific type of military spouses.
The study only examined the number of deployments but not the total length of deployment, therefore it is unclear whether it was deployment or the time apart that contributed to children’s behavioral problems.
The children were examined as an entire group, so it is hard to explore which age group of children is most influenced by deployment compared to other age groups.
Avenues for Future Research
Examine how the length of deployment is related to family well-being
Explore whether children of different ages respond differently to their parent’s deployment
Use interviews to gain in-depth insights of the partners’ perception of deployment
Focus
International Military
Target Population
Population Focus
Abstract
This study explored the impact of multiple deployments on the health and well-being of the partners (married or de facto) and children of Australian military personnel who have deployed frequently. Permission to contact military partners was sought from a sample of Australian Defence Force (ADF) members. Partners provided data on deployment history, physical health, mental health, and their children's emotions, and behaviors. Associations between multiple deployments and health and well-being of partners and children were assessed using logistic regression. Data were collected from 1,332 Australian Defence Force partners (response rate 36%) with 1,095 children aged between 4 and 17 years. Almost half (47%) of partners had experienced more than one deployment, mainly to Timor-Leste, Iraq, and Afghanistan. There was little evidence of associations between numbers of deployments and the health of the partner. In contrast, more behavioral problems were reported for children who experienced two or more deployments with odds ratios generally greater than 2 and significant trends with increasing numbers of deployment. Although military families who experience multiple deployments may, by selection, be more resilient than those who have fewer deployments, these results suggest that adverse impacts on the children may accrue with increasing parental absences because of deployment.
Abstract Document
PRTW Document
Attach