Publication year
2010
Citation Title
The impact of parental deployment on child social and emotional functioning: Perspectives of school staff.
Journal Name
Journal of Adolescent Health
Journal Volume
46
Issue Number
3
Page Numbers
218-223
DOI
10.1016/j.jadohealth.2009.10.009
Summary
School administrators, counselors, and teachers participated in focus groups to give their perspective on the effects of parental deployment on children’s social and emotional functioning at school. Results indicate that although children seemed to cope well with deployment, increased anxiety, increased responsibility, the non-deployed parent's mental health, and access to mental health services influence children's social and emotional functioning.
Key Findings
School staff felt that a number of aspects of deployment (e.g., uncertainty, stress, lack of support for Reserve/National Guard families) contributed to difficulties in functioning at school. Staff also commented on several children handling a first deployment seemingly well, but becoming avoidant of school as additional deployments occurred.
More externalizing behaviors (e.g., anger and aggression) were noted for boys and more internalizing behaviors (e.g., depression) were noted for girls.
Staff worried that many children were given too many new responsibilities during parental deployment, causing them to be overly tired, or feel a constant need to be with the at-home parent.
Implications for Program Leaders
Offer appropriate support and resources to children and families experiencing deployments
Make a continuous effort to maintain contact with military, particularly regarding critical issues (e.g., upcoming deployment, change in station), so that they may provide/refer families to additional support and resources, and continuous effort should be made to maintain contact with military, particularly regarding critical issues (e.g., upcoming deployment, change in station), so that they may provide/refer families to additional support and resources
Provide workshops for school personnel working with military youth regarding common issues youth experience during deployment
Implications for Policy Makers
Encourage collaboration between military liaisons, schools, and programs to better provide appropriate support to military children and families
Support programs that work with school personnel to support military youth throughout the deployment cycle
Recommend professional development and educational opportunities to school staff working with military youth
Methods
Teachers, counselors, and administrators from 12 schools serving large Army installations and 16 school staff members from other schools serving National Guard and Army Reserve families participated in focus groups or individual phone-interviews.
This article focuses on military children with parents serving in the Army, Army Reserve, and National Guard.
Twenty-four focus groups and 16 telephone interviews were conducted in the spring of 2008.
Participants
The school staff members (N = 148) that participated were from 11 states throughout the country.
Schools on base were mostly comprised of military students (98%), while schools off base (n = 9) had a student body in which 30-70% were military students.
No other demographic information regarding participants was provided.
Limitations
Schools that were selected by the researchers for participation may differ from those schools that were not selected. In turn, the cultures at each of the schools may have influenced the willingness to participate as well as the responses of individual participants.
Reports on stress and resiliency were based on interviews with school staff, and there is no indication of the adult-student relationship. Many other factors may be missed when using only one reporter, particularly when it is a third-party report.
Participants may be trying to respond in the “best” way or researchers may influence responses (intentionally or unintentionally) by asking leading questions or overlooking unexpected findings.
Avenues for Future Research
Investigate the effects of combat deployments versus non-combat deployment would benefit research, as it would allow for a better understanding of the different effects each type may have
Explore the effects of parental deployment at different phases of deployment (e.g., pre-deployment, reintegration) as well as different stages of development (e.g., infancy, adolescence, young adulthood)
Examine communication between the military, schools, programs, and families, to assess the status quo, highlight strengths, and point to areas for improvement
Focus
Army
Target Population
Population Focus
Military Branch
Military Component
Abstract
PURPOSE: Since 2001, many military families have experienced multiple and extended deployments. Little is known about the effect of parental deployment on the well-being of children, and few, if any, studies to date have engaged school staff to understand whether and how parental deployments affect the behavioral, social, and emotional outcomes of youth in the school setting. METHODS: Focus groups and semi-structured interviews were conducted with teachers, counselors, and administrative staff at schools serving children from U.S. Army families (N=148 staff). Participants were queried about the academic, behavioral, and emotional issues faced by children of deployed soldiers. Data were analyzed for themes in these areas, with attention to differences by service component (Active Component vs. Army Reserve and National Guard). RESULTS: Although some children seem to be coping well with deployment, school staff felt that children's anxiety related to parental absence, increased responsibilities at home, poor mental health of some nondeployed parents, and difficulty accessing mental health services affected the ability of other students to function well in school. CONCLUSIONS: School staff felt that parental deployment negatively affected social and emotional functioning for some children and youth, although they felt others were coping well. Future research should examine factors related to youth outcomes during parental deployment (e.g., mental health of the non-deployed parent) and assess the effects of deployment on other measures of behavior such as school engagement and academic performance.
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