Optimizing and Validating a Brief Assessment for Identifing Children of Service Members at Risk for Psychological Health Problems Following Parent Deployment

Abstract

Parental deployment can disrupt the care children receive both as a result of deployment-related separation and the potentially destabilizing impact of deployment on the remaining caregiver and daily routines. This study follows 97 intact military families with a child between 4-7 years in a longitudinal pre- mid- and post-deployment study. At pre- and post-deployment, Service Members and their Spouses complete questionnaires and interviews regarding their psychological health, marital, family and parent functioning. Spouses complete questionnaires regarding children's psychological health and development at pre- mid- and post-timepoints. Children participate through doll and puppet play interviews. The objectives of this study are to: 1) Determine the impact of Service Member's post-deployment psychological health on children ages 4 to 7 years old, and; 2) Identify those particular Service Member's Psychological Health-related symptoms that place children at risk for negative outcomes and assess the means by which these symptoms undermine children's adjustment directly by the Service Member and indirectly via negative impact on the Spouse. Data collection is almost complete with some families completing the post-deployment phase of the study and data analysis and coding to be completed.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Nov 01, 2019
Accession Number
AD1093977

Entities

People

  • Deane Aikins
  • Julie W. Aikins

Organizations

  • Wayne State University

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Biomedical

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Availability
  • Biomedical Research
  • Caregivers
  • Contracts
  • Data Analysis
  • Department Of Defense
  • Deployment
  • Families (Human)
  • Information Operations
  • Instructions
  • Maryland
  • Military Families
  • Monitoring
  • Questionnaires
  • Universities

Fields of Study

  • Psychology

Readers

  • Psychological Intervention/Treatment for Stress, Anxiety, PTSD, and Related Emotional and Cognitive Health Symptoms.
  • Rehabilitation and Prosthetic Care for Military Service Members and Veterans with Limb Loss or Disability.