The impact of parental deployment to war on children: the crucial role of parenting

Autism and ADHD: A Literature Review Regarding Their Impacts on Parental Divorce

INTRODUCTION

The change in family structure as a consequence of divorce can be a traumatic event for a child that can undermine his or her emotional security. For this reason, it becomes a major health concern. Many divorce-related risk factors have been identified, including attention deficits or autism spectrum disorder (ASD) in children. The aim of this review is to evaluate if and how a diagnosis of ASD or attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in children is associated with an increase in divorce within families.

METHOD

Searches were performed in two databases evaluating studies focusing on articles pertaining to the topic. A total of 20 articles were found, but only 8 were included in the study according to the criteria.

RESULTS

The results showed that divorce does not appear to be specifically related to a diagnosed pathology of the child, but rather presents itself as a risk factor in certain situations. In particular, this occurs when the coping strategies required to deal with the diagnosis are dysfunctional. However, it would appear that families in which there are children with ADHD have a greater chance of divorce than families in which there is a child with a diagnosis of ASD. It may be hypothesised that in the latter case, parents receiving a diagnosis early in the child's life have more time to develop adaptive strategies to cope with the condition than parents with children with ADHD who mostly find themselves having to deal with their child's behavioural problems at a school age. Moreover, ASD is a disorder more likely genetic than environment-related, so parents receive more socio-medical support, and they are less likely to blame themselves or be blamed by others.

"This is not your Life…and it becomes your Life": A Qualitative Exploration of Deployment-related Stress and Support needs in National Guard and Reserve spouses who are Mothers of Young Children

The adverse effects of deployment-related stress (DRS) on military service members, spouses, and children are well documented. Findings from a recent Consensus Report on Military Families by the National Academies of Science, Engineering, and Medicine (2019) underscore the priority of gaining a more comprehensive understanding of the diversity of today's military families and their needs and well-being. While social support is generally regarded as helpful during times of stress, it has not been studied extensively in National Guard/Reserve spouses who are parents of young children. This qualitative study of 30 women examines the unique ways in which DRS affects women who are National Guard/Reserve spouses and mothers of young children, as well as the processes through which they encountered support to manage these stressors. Salient themes spanned experiences involving deployment cycle phases of separation and reintegration and included both anticipated and unanticipated changes in family-related division of labor, dynamics, and communication patterns. These were complicated by geographic, social, and cultural isolation and misguided efforts to support spouses initiated by civilians. Women managed these stressors primarily through seeking, acquiring, and repurposing existing sources of informal social support for themselves and formal supports for their children, with varying degrees of success.

Retention in Outpatient Child Behavioral Health Services Among Military and Civilian Families

Retention in treatment for children with behavior problems is critical to achieve successful outcomes, and clinical evidence suggests the behavioral health needs and retention of military-connected and civilian families differ meaningfully. Military and civilian children in outpatient behavioral treatment were compared in terms of presenting problems as well as appointment adherence (n = 446 children and their parents). Demographics and rates of externalizing behavior were similar across the two groups. More military than civilian children had internalizing problems. Military parents had more parenting distress and depressive symptoms. Fewer military families dropped out of treatment early. Within-military comparisons demonstrated that children whose parent had recently deployed were more likely to have internalizing problems and poor adaptive skills. Although retention was better among military families, the early treatment drop-out proportions (20-30%) for both groups highlight a barrier to effective behavioral intervention.

Deficits in Inhibitory Control May Place Service Members at Risk for Posttraumatic Stress Disorder and Negative Parenting Behavior Following Deployment-Related Trauma

This study examined the mediating role of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms in the association between deployment-related trauma exposure and parenting behaviors in reserve-component military service members and whether this association was contingent upon parent inhibitory control (IC). Participants were 181 postdeployed fathers and their children. Fathers completed a neurospychological test of IC and self-report measures of trauma exposure and PTSD symptoms. Measures of parenting behaviors (positive engagement and reactivity coercion) were obtained from direct observation of father-child interaction. Results demonstrated that (a) fathers' PTSD symptoms indirectly mediated the effect of trauma exposure on both measures of parenting (i.e., negative indirect effect for positive engagement, point estimate = -.0045, 95% CI [-.0107, -.0003], and positive indirect effect for reactivity coercion, point estimate = .0061, 95% CI [.0007, .0146]); (b) fathers' IC skills moderated the association between trauma exposure and PTSD, β = .14, p = .043, such that the association was positive and significant for fathers with high and medium IC but nonsignificant for fathers with low IC; and (c) the indirect effect of trauma exposure on both parenting measures through PTSD was dependent upon IC, point estimate = .0341, 95% CI [.0005, .0687]. These findings indicate that fathers with low IC skills tended to have higher rates of PTSD symptoms and related negative parenting behaviors, even for individuals with relatively low degrees of deployment-related trauma exposure. Results highlight the importance of IC as a potential moderating factor in the association between trauma exposure, PTSD, and parenting.

Parental Deployment, Adolescent Academic and Social-Behavioral Maladjustment, and Parental Psychological Well-being in Military Families

OBJECTIVE

Increases in the frequency and length of military deployments have raised concerns about the well-being of military families. We examined the relationship between a military parent's deployment and (1) adolescent academic and social-behavioral maladjustment and (2) parental psychological well-being.

METHODS

We collected data from April 2013 through January 2014 from 1021 families of enlisted US Army personnel with children aged 12 or 13 during the Military Teenagers' Environments, Exercise, and Nutrition Study. Through online parent surveys, we collected data on deployment, adolescent academic and social-behavioral maladjustment, and parental psychological well-being. We estimated adjusted logistic and linear regression models for adolescents (all, boys, girls), military parents (all, fathers, mothers), and civilian parents.

RESULTS

Compared with no or short deployments, long deployments (>180 days in the past 3 years) were associated with significantly higher odds of decreases in adolescent academic performance (adjusted odds ratio [AOR] = 1.54), independence (AOR = 2.04), and being responsible (AOR = 1.95). These associations were also significant for boys but not for girls. Among parents, long deployments were associated with significantly higher odds of being depressed (AOR = 2.58), even when controlling for adolescent maladjustment (AOR = 2.54). These associations did not differ significantly between military and civilian parents and were significant for military fathers but not military mothers. Recent deployment (in the past 12 months) was not associated with either adolescent or parent outcomes.

CONCLUSION

Long deployments are associated with adolescents' academic and social-behavioral maladjustments and diminished parental well-being, especially among boys and military fathers.