Publication year
2014
Citation Title
Parental military service and adolescent well-being: Mental health, social connections, and coping among youth in the USA.
Journal Name
Child & Family Social Work
Journal Volume
21
Issue Number
4
Page Numbers
421-432
DOI
10.1111/cfs.12158
Summary
Adolescents who had at least one Active Duty military parent participated in a study examining the associations among demographic information, military- related factors, and well-being. Parental paygrade/rank and youth participation in military sponsored activities were associated with adolescent well-being.
Key Findings
Adolescents with enlisted parents reported more depressive symptoms (particularly for females), fewer close relationships, and less available social support.
Youth participation in a military-sponsored event was positively associated with strong social connections and healthy coping.
Female adolescents who lived in the same neighborhood for less than two years and had an enlisted parent were less likely to draw upon family support than males.
Implications for Program Leaders
Offer professional development opportunities for school personnel about available resources for military youth and families
Engage military-connected youth in educational workshops that discuss stress and effective coping strategies
Distribute information to military parents about the impact of military-related stressors on youth functioning
Implications for Policy Makers
Encourage military-connected youth to participate in military-sponsored activities through campaigns and advertising
Continue to provide support for strengths-based programs and activities for military-connected youth
Encourage collaboration between DoD and community-based programs that offer services to military-connected youth experiencing depression and low self-esteem in an effort to provide streamlined and continuous care
Methods
Adolescents were recruited using advertising in the community and via email blasts to Service members.
Survey questions assessed military-related factors (e.g., parental absence due to work, parental paygrade/rank, participation in military-sponsored activities) and well-being (e.g., depression, social connections, and coping).
Questionnaires were completed on a computer.
Participants
A total of 1,036 adolescents who had at least one Active Duty military parent participated (50% male).
Nearly 50% of participants were male; the average age of participants was 13.39 years (SD = 1.98 years). Ethnicity/race of participants was not reported.
Ninety-two percent had one Active Duty military parent; 8% were in a dual-military family.
Limitations
Service branch and ethnic composition of the sample were not provided and could impact the results.
Many variables were dichotomized (yes/no) which limits variability and the ability to examine nuanced findings.
The sample was not random, and the results may not generalize beyond this sample.
Avenues for Future Research
Include multiple respondents from the same family to explore perceptions of adolescents and parents
Consider other factors related to the well-being of military-connected adolescents, including family relationship quality, type and duration of parents' deployment, and other stressors
Examine other important youth outcomes, such as substance use and delinquent behavior
Focus
Army
Target Population
Population Focus
Military Branch
Military Component
Abstract
The association between parental military work factors and adolescent's well-being was examined. Data were collected from 1036 military youth. Using a within-group design, we examined adolescent's well-being related to parental absence, school and neighbourhood transitions, paygrade/rank and participation in military-sponsored activities, and differentiated outcomes by sex and age. Two parental work factors primarily influenced adolescent's well-being, parental paygrade/rank and engagement in military-sponsored activities. Parental paygrade/rank was the only factor uniformly related to poorer well-being, and this variable likely represents a more complex set of family circumstances. Engaging in military-sponsored activities served as a resource and was related to enhanced well-being. Individual-level differences and implications for social workers are discussed.
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