The Military Family in Review: Context, Risk, and Prevention

The authors review the research literature concerning the prevalence of psychosocial dysfunction in military families and describe background factors affecting the incidence of dysfunction in military settings. They review available research concerning specific risk factors, including father absence, war and combat stress, geographic mobility, retirement, cross-cultural family constellations, and authoritarian military structure. They discuss variables that may mediate the effects of these risk factors, describe preventive principles and approaches, and clarify issues requiring further investigation.