Publication year
2013
Citation Title
Family communication across the military deployment experience: Child and spouse report of communication frequency and quality and associated emotions, behaviors and reactions.
Journal Name
Journal of Loss and Trauma
Journal Volume
18
Issue Number
2
Page Numbers
103-119
DOI
10.1080/15325024.2012.684576
Summary
This study assessed the frequency and quality of communication between National Guard Soldiers, their female spouses (n = 13), and their children (n = 13) before, during, and after deployment. Communication during deployment with siblings was related to positive child outcomes; however, using text messaging to communicate with a deployed parent was related to negative child outcomes.
Key Findings
Text messaging with a deployed parent was related to children feeling angry about deployment or being upset or stressed around parents.
Quality and frequency of communication among children and their siblings was associated with beneficial outcomes (e.g., less anger toward mothers pre-deployment, less loneliness during deployment, less anger and loneliness post-deployment).
At all phases of deployment, more and better quality female spouse communication with her children and with her deployed Service member related to her better anger management and decreased stress reactions.
Implications for Program Leaders
Provide education for military families regarding the importance of communication for children of deployed Service members, including which kinds of communication tend to be more helpful than others
Offer opportunities for connection and socialization for children who have experienced or are currently experiencing parental deployment to encourage mutual support among these youth
Help connect military children and their families with camp and recreational activities, such as Operation Purple Camps provided through the National Military Family Association
Implications for Policy Makers
Develop and support programs that offer military youth activies to increase interaction and communication with parents and siblings
Support the provision of summer camps and other recreational events for military children, which may provide opportunities for youth to interaction with others experiencing similar issues related to parental deployment
Recommend education of professionals who work with military families regarding the most and least beneficial types of communication for family members during deployment
Methods
Spouses and any interested child 8-18 years old of a Service member in the Oklahoma National Guard participated in three in-person interviews (one each pre-, during, and post-deployment).
Participants were asked questions about the frequency and quality of communication with the deployed family member, about the child’s emotions and behavior (both parent and children report), and their own emotional reactions to deployment.
The effects of frequency and quality of communication, who family members communicated with, and how family members communicated on the well-being of spouses and children of Service members was examined.
Participants
Non-deployed female spouses (n= 13) and children (n = 13; 8 with siblings in the study) of Service members in OIF were sampled
Spouses were 77% White, 15% Black, or 8% another race/ethnicity; the majority were currently employed (85%).
Children (69% male) had an average age of 11 years and were from nine different families; five had no siblings and eight had at least one sibling in the study.
Limitations
This study used a very small convenience sample of National Guard families and families with only male Service members from a single state and may not be representative of the military as a whole.
The independence of the data were weakened by including parents and children from the same families and not accounting for interdependency in the analyses.
All measures used were non-standard and developed for this study, so no psychometric information was available.
Avenues for Future Research
Conduct a similar study in a larger, more representative sample (e.g., including male spouses) and using standardized measures to help produce more generalizable and reliable results
Examine the interdependence of parent and child ratings to illuminate relationships within families.
Explore child and spouse motivations for communicating at all phases of deployment to inform how to help improve communication
Focus
Army
Target Population
Population Focus
Military Branch
Military Component
Abstract
Frequency and quality of family deployment communication was assessed and examined in conjunction with emotions and behaviors reported by military children and spouses (N=26) before, during, and after deployment. Child deployment communication with siblings was associated with positive child outcomes. Conversely, before and during deployment child communication with a deployed parent was related to more child emotional reactionsand behavioral problems. For spouses, more and better communication with children and the deployed partner was related to the spouse’s having less negative temper or stress reactions. Use of newer communication technology during deployment was related to negative child outcomes.
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