Publication year
2015
Citation Title
Impact of parents wartime military deployment and injury on their young children’s safety and mental health.
Journal Name
Journal of the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry
Journal Volume
54
Issue Number
4
Page Numbers
294-301
DOI
10.1016/j.jaac.2014.12.017
Summary
Young children of Active Duty military parents participated in a study assessing the impact of parental deployment and combat injury on children’s mental health, injuries, and maltreatment. Young children of deployed and combat-injured military parents had more ambulatory care visits for mental health, injuries, and child maltreatment after their military parent returned from deployment.
Key Findings
In the post-deployment period, visits for mental healthcare, child injuries, and child maltreatment were elevated in children whose parents deployed relative to children of non-deployed parents.
Relative to the deployment period, children of deployed parents (injured and non-injured) had higher rates of mental health and injury visits post deployment.
Children of injured parents had higher rates of child maltreatment care in the post-deployment period than during the deployment period.
Implications for Program Leaders
Offer support groups during reintegration to help families of Service member who experienced combat-related injuries
Provide concrete information to military parents and school personnel regarding normative versus problematic child responses to deployment
Disseminate information regarding how combat-related injuries can influence Service members’ mental health and military family functioning
Implications for Policy Makers
Continue to support programs that help combat injured Service members and their families adjust
Support the development of in-home help for combat injured parents immediately post-deployment
Continue to support programs for identification and prevention of child maltreatment in military families
Methods
Children’s healthcare utilization data and records of parent combat injuries were obtained from the TRICARE Management Activity database.
Injury visits were limited to new injuries and child maltreatment, and mental and behavioral health visits were identified by the international classification for disease code.
The Defense Manpower Data Center supplied data on start and stop dates for all military deployments and demographic information on military parents.
Participants
A total of 487,460 youth between the ages of 3-8 years were included in the sample (51% male).
Twelve-percent of participants had a parent who deployed in 2006 and about 17% of deployed parents sustained a combat-related injury.
Service member parents who deployed (injured and uninjured) were more likely to be male, younger, and have younger children compared to parents who did not deploy.
No information regarding military branch was provided.
Limitations
The study used diagnostic codes that were assessed by individual providers; such diagnoses may include some biases.
The study period was limited (fiscal year 2006), which may underestimate the impact of deployment on children’s mental and physical health.
Dual military families were not included which may limit the generalizability of these findings.
Avenues for Future Research
Examine the impact of parental mental versus physical health injuries on children’s wellbeing
Explore factors that protect children and promote resilience in military families impacted by deployment
Conduct interviews with families in which the Service member experienced an injury to more fully explore their experiences and needs
Focus
Multiple Branches
Target Population
Population Focus
Military Branch
Abstract
Objective: Children are at risk for adverse outcomes during parental military deployments. We aim to determine the impact of parental deployment and combat injury on young children’s postdeployment mental health, injuries, and maltreatment. Method: This is a population-based, retrospective cohort study of young children of active duty military parents during fiscal years (FY) 2006 to 2007, a high deployment period. A total of 487,460 children, 3 to 8 years of age, who received Military Health System care, were included. The relative rates of mental health, injury, and child maltreatment visits of children whose parents deployed and children of combat-injured parents were compared to children unexposed to parental deployment. Results: Of the included children, 58,479 (12%) had a parent deploy, and 5,405 (1%) had a parent injured during deployment. Relative to children whose parents did not deploy, children of deployed and combat-injured parents, respectively, had additional visits for mental health diagnoses (incidence rate ratio [IRR] = 1.09 [95% CI = 1.02–1.17], IRR = 1.67 [95% CI = 1.47–1.89]), injuries (IRR = 1.07 [95% CI = 1.04–1.09], IRR = 1.24 [95% CI = 1.17–1.32]), and child maltreatment (IRR = 1.21 [95% CI = 1.11–1.32], IRR 2.30 = [95% CI 2.02–2.61]) postdeployment. Conclusion: Young children of deployed and combat-injured military parents have more postdeployment visits for mental health, injuries, and child maltreatment. Mental health problems, injuries, and maltreatment after a parent’s return from deployment are amplified in children of combat-injured parents. Increased preventive and intervention services are needed for young children as parents return from deployments. Child health and mental health providers are crucial to effective identification of these at-risk children to ensure effective care provision.
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