The Impact of Parental Deployment on Child Social and Emotional Functioning: Perspectives of School Staff

doi:10.1016/j.jadohealth.2009.10.009

Journal of Adolescent Health

Volume 46, Issue 3, March 2010, Pages 218-223

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jadohealth.2009.10.009 Get rights and content

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.

Section snippets

Methods

In the spring of 2008, we conducted focus groups with teachers, counselors and administrative staff (e.g., principals and vice principals) at 12 schools. Of these 12 schools, six served one Army installation and the other six served another installation in a different region of the county. These installations were selected because of their continued and high rates of deployment over the past 5 years. With the help and guidance of the Army School Liaison Officers serving those installations, we

Results

Although school personnel perceived many children and families to be coping well with parental deployment, our research reveals that they saw a significant number of children struggling with a range of deployment related issues that were reportedly having an effect on the child's ability to function in school. In the following sections, we summarize findings from our analysis related to these professionals' perspectives on the social/emotional functioning and associated mental health needs of

Conclusions

Although school staff perceived that many children coped well with the challenges of having a deployed parent, they felt other students were facing difficulties. This study benefits from the perspectives of school staff, who spend a significant amount of time interacting with these youth, but to date have not been the focus of research. Our analysis identified several factors that may contribute to these difficulties, including the stress and anxiety of parental absence and poor mental health

Acknowledgments

The authors extend their sincere appreciation to the staff at the participating schools for their contributions to this study. They also thank Susan Johnson, P.K. Tomlinson, C. Van Chaney, Carmen Marino, and the U.S. Army for their support and contributions. They thank Lisa Jaycox, Terri Tanielian, and Bruce Orvis of the RAND Corporation for their thoughtful review of this manuscript.

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Original articleThe Impact of Parental Deployment on Child Social and Emotional Functioning: Perspectives of School Staff

Abstract

Purpose

Methods

Results

Conclusions

Section snippets

Methods

Results

Conclusions

Acknowledgments

J Adolesc

J Am Acad Child Adolesc Psychiatry

J Am Acad Child Adolesc Psychiatry

Coping with their parents' war

Washington Post

Profile of the Military Community

How Deployments Affect Service Members

Adjustments Among Adolescent in Military Families When a Parent Is Deployed

Chronic stress, acute stress, and depressive symptoms

Am J Community Psychol

Original article
The Impact of Parental Deployment on Child Social and Emotional Functioning: Perspectives of School Staff