Publication year
1987
Citation Title
Adjustment and achievement associated with mobility in military families.
Journal Name
Psychology in the Schools
Journal Volume
24
Issue Number
3
Page Numbers
289-294
DOI
10.1002/1520-6807(198707)24:3<289::aid-pits2310240315>3.0.co;2-a
Summary
Army families participated in a study regarding their history of geographic mobility, identification with Army life, personal well-being, and their children’s school achievement and social competence. Frequent relocation was not found to negatively impact well-being for Service members, their spouses, or children.
Key Findings
There was a relationship between total moves a child had experienced in his or her life and school achievement such that more moves were associated with greater academic acheivement.
Children who often moved further than 500 miles away had lower social competence than youth who typically moved fewer than 500 miles.
Parental identification with the military was related to higher youth social competence, but not with youth school achievement.
The frequency of family moves was not related to Service member and spouse well-being.
Implications for Program Leaders
Enhance the ease of military children and family’s adjustment in moving to new locations by providing welcoming social events to facilitate new social connections
Offer mentoring programs such that children who are new to an installation could be matched with established children who could help them feel welcome
Develop workshops for families who have recently experienced a relocation in order to help parents develop skills to assist their children during the transition
Implications for Policy Makers
Recommend monitoring of the wellbeing of all family members after a military-related move, including following them over time to track adjustment
Encourage the development of programs that help families and children transition between schools for military related moves
Promote training for professionals who work with military families regarding the challenges those families may face around relocations
Methods
Superintendents from the three elementary schools at Fort Jackson Army Base recruited English-speaking families in which the child was enrolled in grades two, four, and six. The rate of participation was 24%.
The Service member and spouse separately completed measures of mobility history, well-being, and identification with the military as well as completing a combined measure of the social competence of one of their children.
Children’s school achievement was assessed via an achievement test administered at school.
Data were analyzed to examine relationships among total life moves; location, distance and recency of latest move; and social competence scores.
Participants
Forty families participated. Of the Service members, 90% were male.
Of the participants, 90% were in the enlisted ranks.
The Service member parent had been in the military, on average, 13 years.
No additional demographic data were presented.
Limitations
Limited demographic data were presented, so it is unclear which populations these findings extend to.
All the families who participated were in the Army; results may not apply to other military branch members.
Participants opted in to the study; these families may differ from families who chose not to participate in important ways that may influence results.
Avenues for Future Research
Examine the impact of transitioning from military to non-military schools on youth school achievement and competence
Use a longitudinal design to investigate the long-term academic outcomes associated with family moves
Investigate the efficacy of programs that aim to ease the transitions around relocations
Focus
Army
Target Population
Population Focus
Military Branch
Military Component
Abstract
Forty Army families were investigated regarding their history of geographic mobility, identification with Army life, their personal well-being and children's school achievement and social competence. Frequent relocation was not found to be detrimental to service member or spouse and, in fact, was positively associated with higher child and social competence. Military identification correlated with well-being for service members, but not for spouses. However, it was the degree of spouse military identification that was more strongly related to children's adjustment than that of service members. The role of military living in reducing relocation stresses is discussed and implications are drawn for nonmilitary populations.
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