Identifying Parent Deployment-Related Factors Targetable By Family-Skills Programs for Military Families

Introduction: In addition to the types of challenges faced by general population families, military families are subject to unique stresses and disruptions that can adversely affect family functioning, parenting, the parent-child relationship, and child behavior. Established, evidence-based family skills programs may help address the challenges faced by all families, but typically lack content specifically targeting the unique challenges of military families. This presentation will include descriptive and correlational findings from an examination of factors associated with youth and family outcomes that are, or could be, addressed through family skills programming for military families.

Methods: Data were collected as part of a prevention trial evaluating an adapted version of the evidence-based Strengthening Families Program: For Parents and Youth 10-14 (SFP: 10-14) for use with military families. The current study uses baseline data collected for that trial from 305 families (one 10 to 12 year-old youth and one parent/caregiver from each family) via telephone interviews. The average youth age was 11 years and 55% were girls. Most parent respondents were women (79%), 73% were White, and 44% reported having a bachelor’s degree or more education. Key youth and family functioning outcomes of interest included: general parenting behaviors (e.g., child management, monitoring), parent-child affective quality, youth antisocial behaviors, and youth problem solving. Key military-related factors of interest included: parenting challenges during spousal deployment, youth experiences associated with parental deployment, youth experiences with parental reintegration into the family following deployment, and youth concerns about possible future parental deployment.

Results: Correlation analyses revealed strong patterns of relationships between several youth-reported deployment-related experience measures and youth and family functioning outcomes. Negative deployment-related experiences and lack of communication were associated with poorer functioning. Among the deployment-related experience measures most strongly related to functioning outcomes were: adjustment to the return of a deployed parent, not having someone to discuss feelings, increasing responsibilities at home, and talking with the military parent about their deployment. Non-military-related parenting practices specifically taught in the SFP: 10-14 also were significantly related to most family functioning measures.

Conclusions: Findings suggest that, while military families can benefit from program content similar to that for civilian families; they could further benefit from content addressing how to prevent and reduce psychological and practical stresses associated with parent deployment.