Children's Mental Health, Deployment, Parental Mental Health, and Family Dynamics: Findings from the Millennium Cohort Family Study
Abstract
Purpose. Having a parent with a mental health condition may heighten the risk for behavioral and emotional problems for children and adolescents; this may be particularly true for military families, given some of the unique challenges of military life. The purpose of this study was to examine how parental mental health may impact children's psychosocial functioning, accounting for deployment and the moderating effects of service member (SM) and spouse (SP) sex. Method. Using survey data from the Millennium Cohort Family Study, this study examined family demographic characteristics, deployment, parental mental health, social functioning, and family satisfaction as predictors of emotional and behavioral difficulties among children in the family. Analytic techniques ranged from descriptive statistics to hierarchical regression models. Findings. The mental health of the SP was most influential on the behavioral and emotional outcomes of children in the family in comparisons where neither, one, or both parents had mental health problems. Sex of the SP was a moderator of child outcomes. Male SPs with mental health problems were associated with an elevated risk for negative child outcomes, especially among families of female SMs. Contrary to expectations, parental deployment history was largely unrelated to child outcomes. Both parental social functioning and family satisfaction served as protective factors, buffering children from negative outcomes, even when parental mental health problems were present. Conclusions. The results highlight the complex array of factors that contribute to the mental health and well-being of children in military families. Providing military children and families access to a variety of prevention and treatment services is important, especially for families with female SMs with male SPs serving in the role of primary caregiver.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Nov 05, 2020
- Accession Number
- AD1158096
Entities
People
- Angela M. Tunno
- Ernestine C Briggs
- Jacqueline C. Pflieger
- John A. Fairbank
- Nida H. Corry
- Robert A. Murphy
- Sabrina M. Richardson
- Sherika N. Hill
- Valerie A. Stander
Organizations
- Naval Health Research Center