Publication year
2015
Citation Title
Help seeking by parents in military families on behalf of their young children.
Journal Name
Psychological Services
Journal Volume
12
Issue Number
3
Page Numbers
231-240
DOI
10.1037/ser0000027
Summary
Online survey data were used to examine individual and child well-being, recognition of child problems, and help-seeking behaviors among military parents. Most military families were aware of their child’s problems and sought help. However, parents reported several barriers to receiving care for their child.
Key Findings
Seventeen percent of children in the sample were considered high-risk for problematic behaviors based on standardized measures; of those, 84% of their parents indicated their child had a problem.
The most common problems that parents identified in children included behavioral problems (37%), sleep problems (19%), and anxiety or emotional issues (18%).
To learn more about their child’s problem, most caregivers looked for information online (90%) or talked with family or relatives (87%); 34% sought out community or military-based services.
Families were more likely to use community-based than military services; however, families who sought out services reported numerous barriers including poorly organized information about resources, long waits for appointments, and lack of available resources in the community.
Implications for Program Leaders
Develop and publicize online resources to support parents whose children are struggling emotionally (e.g. early intervention resources, family support groups)
Offer accessible, non-stigmatizing peer support programs for military children
Educate community providers about military family issues to help them provide culturally-competent care
Implications for Policy Makers
Recommend education of community providers regarding how to be culturally sensitive to issues faced by military children
Disseminate information regarding common childhood difficulties across military contexts
Encourage awareness campaigns for military families regarding the importance of early intervention for children
Methods
A subset of data from a larger study were used to examine primary caregivers’ help-seeking behavior for their child (n = 267).
To be eligible for the larger study, participants had to live in the United States, have a child between 0-10 years, and have one parent serving in the military with a pay grade equal to or less than 0-6.
Primary caregivers completed a telephone interview and web-based survey that asked different questions regarding family demographics, individual and child well-being, child behaviors, and help-seeking behaviors.
Participants
Eligibility criteria included having a child between age 0-10 and one parent currently in the military with a pay grade of 0-6 or lower.
The majority of participants were married (84%), female (87%), White (78%), and between the ages of 25-34 years (54%).
Most (75%) were Active Duty families, with over half serving in the Army; a large majority (69%) were enlisted personnel
Most children (38%) were between 3-5 years old; 51% of children were male.
Limitations
The low response rate (14%) may have introduced biases and limited the generalizability of the findings.
Parents may over- or under-report their child's problem behaviors, which may influence the results.
The study only included children who were 10 years old or younger and may not be generalizable to military families with dependent children over the age of 10 years.
Avenues for Future Research
Replicate the study with a more diverse (i.e. race and branch) sample of military families
Utilize observations or teacher reports to elicit their perspectives on children’s symptoms and behaviors
Continue to examine barriers to help-seeking for military families with children
Focus
Multiple Branches
Target Population
Population Focus
Military Component
Abstract
Over the past decade, many children have experienced a parental deployment, increasing their risk for emotional and behavioral problems. Research in the general population has shown that while many services are available for families with children experiencing problems, the rate of service utilization is low. This study examined help-seeking processes in military families in relation to children’s problems. We collected data on emotional and behavioral problems from a sample of military parents with children ranging in age from zero to 10 years. While prevalence of children with problems was similar to prior research, results in this study suggested that military parents were alert to problems. Although military parents’ help-seeking processes were similar to those documented in civilian studies in many respects, we did not find a significant gender difference in the recognition of problems. Furthermore, we found that children’s experiences of deployment were related to use of services. Families who used services most often relied on primary care providers. These findings suggest military families are mindful of the possibility of their children having problems. In addition, many families utilize civilian services. Therefore, it is important to ensure that front-line civilian providers fully understand the context of military family issues.
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