Although the U.S. military had already implemented extensive programs, policies and practices to support families prior to the current conflicts, the wars and demographic changes have spurred the development of innovative new models, some far outside previous boundaries of military workforce flexibility.
military families
Helping children and families reconnect after a military deployment (2011)
MFRI, in cooperation with the Indiana National Guard, created “Passport Towards Success,” a program designed to strengthen communication skills that help children and families reconnect following a parent’s military deployment. This article summarizes findings from the program’s evaluation.
Passport Toward Success: Description and evaluation of a program designed to help children and families reconnect after a military deployment (2011)
This article evaluates Passport Toward Success, a program that rotates children whose military parent has recently returned from deployment through three interactive stations. The children practice skills related to coping with stress, problem-solving and discussing feelings along with similar-age peers.
Family risk and resilience in the context of war and terrorism (2010)
In this review, MacDermid Wadsworth considers the implications of mass violence for families. Mass violence poses significant threats to mental health and family functioning, but individuals and families also display striking levels of resilience.
Understanding and Promoting Resilience in Military Families (2008)
This review of scientific evidence about resilience in children and families was compiled at the request of the Office of Military Community and Family Policy in the United States Department of Defense.
Adjustments among Adolescents in Military Families When a Parent is Deployed (2005)
This qualitative study explores the many dimensions of the deployment experiences of 107 adolescents (54 percent male) in military families in order to better inform program professionals in developing support programs for young people.
Ethnic Variations in the Connection Between Work-Induced Family Separation and Turnover Intent (2004)
This study examines ethnic variations in the role of resources in the relationship between work-induced family separation and workers’ intentions to leave their employment.
Child Care Use and Satisfaction Among Military Families with Preschool Children (2004)
Using the 1999 Survey of Active Duty Personnel, this report examines the childcare arrangements used by military families with children younger than six.
U.S. military children and the wartime deployments of family members (2017)
In 2014, 1.8 million American children lived in military families, representing only a fraction of the U.S. children exposed directly to parents’ wartime deployments over the past 15 years. In this article, we summarize recent research about military children in U.S. families and propose directions for research.
Accumulation of Risk and Promotive Factors Among Young Children in U.S. Military Families (2016)
This study focuses on strengths that reside within individual military children under the age of 10, while examining the risk and external (promotive) factors associated with each individual. Researchers found that risk factors, particularly parental depression, community poverty and cumulative risk, were more strongly associated with children’s outcomes than promotive factors.