The impact of military deployment and reintegration on children and parenting: A systematic review.

TLDR

Hundreds of thousands of children have had at least one parent deploy in Iraq and Afghanistan, yet little is known about how deployment affects parent‑child relationships. This systematic review synthesizes evidence on the effects of deployment separation on parenting and child outcomes, on parental mental health during and after reintegration, and on existing treatment approaches for military families. The authors performed a systematic review of studies addressing these three domains. Findings indicate that parent deployment is linked to increased emotional and behavioral difficulties in children, that parental PTSD and depression are associated with child and parenting problems, and that most treatment programs for military families remain untested or in early implementation stages.

Abstract

Hundreds of thousands of children have had at least 1 parent deploy as part of military operations in Iraq (Operation Iraqi Freedom; OIF; Operation New Dawn; OND) and Afghanistan (Operation Enduring Freedom; OEF). However, there is little knowledge of the impact of deployment on the relationship of parents and their children. This systematic review examines findings from 3 areas of relevant research: the impact of deployment separation on parenting, and children's emotional, behavioral, and health outcomes; the impact of parental mental health symptoms during and after reintegration; and current treatment approaches in veteran and military families. Several trends emerged. First, across all age groups, deployment of a parent may be related to increased emotional and behavioral difficulties for children, including higher rates of health-care visits for psychological problems during deployment. Second, symptoms of PTSD and depression may be related to increased symptomatology in children and problems with parenting during and well after reintegration. Third, although several treatments have been developed to address the needs of military families, most are untested or in the early stages of implementation and evaluation. This body of research suggests several promising avenues for future research.