Understanding the deployment experience for children and youth from military families

Abstract

This chapter contains a review of what is known about the stressors that service members experience during deployment, and what aspects of that deployment may contribute to emotional changes for families. The review specifically synthesizes research on deployment and child well-being, including the impact on child academic and mental health outcomes, in conflicts prior to Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF)/Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF) as well as during OEF and OIF. Findings from a study to expand our understanding of how OEF/OIF has affected children are summarized, with particular attention to experiences for children from Active and Reserve Component families. The information in this chapter can therefore help to guide efforts already underway to support military families. © 2011 Springer Science+Business Media, LLC.