Publication year
2013
Citation Title
Recurrent headache in military-dependent children and the impact of parent deployment.
Journal Name
Military Medicine
Journal Volume
178
Issue Number
3
Page Numbers
274-278
DOI
10.7205/MILMED-D-12-00171
Summary
Child and adolescent somatic complaints (physical symptoms that usually result from stress or emotional distress) are understudied in the parental deployment context. Survey data were used to examine the relation between recurrent headaches in children and adolescents and experiences with parental deployment. Results indicated that youth reported increased irrespective of whether a parent deployed or not, however age and gender was associated with headaches for youth who had a parent deploy.
Key Findings
Overall, 30% of children and adolescents included in this sample had recurrent headaches.
Headaches had gotten worse (e.g. more frequent, severe) among 47% of children and adolescents with recurring headaches over the previous year, irrespective of parental deployment status (i.e. deployed/not deployed in last year).
Among children and adolescents who had a deployed parent in the past 12 months, headaches were most frequent among young girls.
Implications for Program Leaders
Provide ducation to military parents on emotional and somatic complaints among military children, particularly surrounding deployment
Offer workshops to military children and families that teach stress-management skills to promote well-being
Develop specific programming for female military children as their somatic problems tend to be more severe than males
Implications for Policy Makers
Recommend further investigation of the effects of parental deployment on child and adolescent somatic complaints to assist in the development of appropriate programming
Recommend routine screening of military children’s well-being to support early detection of problems and the provision of appropriate referrals for children that are struggling
Publish materials regarding common psychological and physical issues children may experience when a parent is deployed
Methods
The data source for this study was from parents whose child or adolescent was seen at Wilford Hall Medical Center and Brooke Army Medical Center for either acute or routine treatment.
This study was a quantitative quasi-experiment comparing youth who did and did not have a parent deploy in the prior 12 months.
The primary outcome in this study was recurrent headache frequency, severity, and duration (assessed via subjective selfreport survey and not an established measure).
Participants
A total of 13,111 parents were asked to participate, 1,795 agreed to do so. Of participants, 548 reported recurrent headaches and were included in this study.
Youth were between the ages of 5-17 years.
Among included children and adolescents, 52% were female, 39% White, 18% Black, 21% Latino, and the remaining 22% were other ethnicities or unknown ethnicity.
Limitations
Participating parents were recruited while seeking medical treatment for their child/adolescent for problems potentially related to somatic complaints; therefore, results may not be generalizable to all military children.
Parents, not the child or adolescent patient, completed the surveys on recurrent headache problems; therefore, results may not accurately represent youth’s actual experiences.
The term “recurrent headache” was not defined for the participating parent; each parent used their own criteria by which to determine if their child had recurrent headaches which could influence the results.
Avenues for Future Research
Conduct a similar study with a more representative sample of military children and adolescents
Examine other somatic complaints, such as stomach issues, skin problems, and fatigue that could affect children during parental deployment
Explore whether gender of the deployed parent influences whether children and adolescents experience somatic health issues
Focus
Multiple Branches
Target Population
Population Focus
Military Branch
Military Component
Abstract
Our objective is to determine the prevalence of recurrent headaches in military-dependent children and to study the changes in headache frequency, severity, and duration during a parental deployment. Recurrent headaches are common in children and are often intensified by stressful life events. Military-dependent children are subjected to unique stressors, most significantly parental wartime deployment. No studies have evaluated the effect of deployment on somatic complaints, to include headaches. We conducted a parental, cross-sectional questionnaire-based study in patients aged 5 to 17 years who were seen in the pediatric or adolescent clinics at a regional military medical center. The overall prevalence of recurrent headaches in the preceding 12 months was 30%. Almost half reported headache worsening in frequency, severity, or duration over the previous 12 months, whether a parent was deployed or not. For children who had experienced parental deployment, younger children and females were affected more often. Younger females had the highest rates of headache worsening. This trend may indicate a more detrimental effect of parental deployment on childhood headache in certain populations.
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