Running head: HOW DEPLOYMENT AFFECTS MILITARY FAMILIES 1

How Deployment Affects Military Families

Ronald Hill

University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign

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How Deployment Affects Military Families

When a parent is deployed in the military, it affects the structure of the family and can

result in drastic changes. Spouses of deployed military personnel can have trouble dealing with

the absence of their loved one along with having to assume more responsibility. The children in

these families are often affected as well and have a hard time dealing with the transition, from

having two parents present to one. Many kids are unsure of how to adjust to the changes that are

brought about as a result of the deployment. While deployment is rough for the spouse and

children of the deployed, it also affects the deployed individual. Upon their return they may find

things different than they were when they originally left. Deployment is a transition for all the

members of a military family, and a change that does not always come easily. I hope to assist

those who have had to cope with the many issues that arise when a family member is deployed. I

will first explain some of the effects surrounding military deployment and then I will offer some

advice for managing these problems.

In two separate studies by Huebner, Mancini, Wilcox, Grass, S., & Grass, G. (2007) and

McGuire et al. (2016) findings showed an increased amount of abnormal behaviors from children

of deployed military personnel, of which both studies had majority of children of parents who

were deployed to Iraq or Afghanistan. Huebner et al. (2007) and McGuire et al. (2016) found a

connection between the number of deployments and relationship conflict. Specifically they found

more behavioral problems from children who experienced multiple deployments of their

parent(s). The studies linked the increase in abnormal behaviors with an increase in the number

of deployments, a positive correlation. Their findings collectively show that children do behave

differently in response to the absence of a parent, thus both studies showed children have

abnormal behaviors during deployment.

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As I mentioned before, everyone in a military family is somehow affected by the

deployment of another relative, this includes both male and female spouses, both men and

women. In a study by Fish, Harrington, Bellin, & Shaw (2014), they were able to conclude that

higher BMIs (Body Mass Index) coupled with low social support lead to depression. Meanwhile

Huebner, Mancini, Wilcox, Grass, S., & Grass, G. (2007) in their study were able to conclude

that deployment is linked to changes in mental health which include depression and anxiety.

While deployment is not related to spouse weight as Fish et al. (2014) once thought, there is

however a relationship between lack of support and depression, that lack of support is shown to

be caused by deployment as proven by Huebner et al. (2007) in his study showing it as a change

in mental health of military families.

Finally, I turn my attention to the effects of deployment on the deployed family member

themself. The deployed military parent/spouse will experience communication and

mental/emotional issues when they return home (Walsh et al., 2014). In studies by both Walsh et

al. (2014) and Huebner, Mancini, Wilcox, Grass, S., & Grass, G. (2007), they were able to

identify family difficulty readapting after a spouse/parent returns from deployment. Walsh et al.

(2014) reported that men in his study found it difficult to reconnect with their children after their

return from deployment while similarly Huebner et al. (2007) was able to show that deployment

causes boundary ambiguity in military families. These findings are related because both studies

show that reintegrating into your family after deployment is not an easy task to accomplish.

Deployed Military personnel report significant levels of stress and difficulty in transitioning from

military expectations to family expectations.

Children need help in transitioning to the new family structure when a parent gets

deployed, which leads me to my first piece of advice. Allowing for communication is key to
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avoiding tension that leads to relationship conflict. In studies by Paley, B., Lester, P., & Mogil,

C. (2013) and Russo, T., & Fallon, M. (2015) evidence showed that strong relationship ties to the

non-deployed parent and other close adults in the extended family help children become more

self-regulated. In particular, the study by Russo, T., & Fallon, M. (2015) also found that the

children who had the strong family ties reported higher levels of satisfaction with parents, peers,

school, and the community. Their findings show that communication is essential to giving

children piece of mind and helping them adjust to their new role during a parents deployment,

and so it is important for the present parent to help develop regular routines throughout the

extended absence (Russo, T., and Fallon, M., 2015); and to become an emotional outlet for the

child (Paley, B., Lester, P., & Mogil, C., 2013).

My second piece of advice refers to the spouse of a deployed individual. Spouses need to

communicate more with the deployed military personnel. In the study by Rea, J., Behnke, A.,

Huff, N., & Allen, K. (2015) they found that military spouses use social media as a way to stay

connected with their significant other. The study also found that sending emails help couples

resolve conflict. In a different study by Murphy, R. A., & Fairbank, J. A. (2013) they found that

spouses of deployed service members experience higher levels of psychological distress while

also believing they have less relationship satisfaction than those spouses of non-deployed

individuals. This distress was causes by lack of communication between partners, and so it is

important for couples to use social media because it has a positive effect on military spouses and

provides support for themselves and their relationship (Rea, J., Behnke, A., Huff, N., & Allen,

K., 2015) These findings prove that more communication between spouses is necessary to

maintain a strong and healthy relationship. Sending more emails and having more video phone

calls can also help reduce anxiety and stress. In fact social media is such an effective tool for
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military families to use to communicate, Rea, J., Behnke, A., Huff, N., & Allen, K. (2015)

recommend family therapists to consider using it as a part of their treatment plans to help reduce

levels of loneliness felt by military spouses.

My third and final piece of advice is for the deployed military individual. Upon the return

of the deployed military personnel, they need help from their spouse and children adjusting to the

new family structure and need to reassure them it is okay that they were gone. To do this, it is

best that the family speak with a therapist if they are having difficulty letting go of regrets or

have trouble expressing healthy anger. In their study, Sories, F., Maier, C., Beer, A., & Thomas,

V. (2015) found that the use of family play therapy with children and their parents is effective in

decreasing trauma symptoms and increasing the quality of family interactions. In a similar study,

research and evidence by Russo, T., & Fallon, M. (2015) found that social supports as a means of

therapy is key to helping parents and their children cope with their individual stress. Sories, F.,

Maier, C., Beer, A., & Thomas, V. (2015) believe that Couple and Family Therapists, (referred

to as CFTs) are most qualified to provide therapy services to military families, due to their

ability to view psychological and emotional challenges through a systematic approach to mental

health treatment, believing them to be the best suited individuals to enhance recognition and

collaboration between military families and society. One important thing to note from Sories, F.,

Maier, C., Beer, A., & Thomas, V. (2015) is they point out that it is hard to deal with the stress

for children and their parents because the person causing the stress is also the one who is

supposed to assist children in managing their stress. Findings from both conclude that although

dealing with the deployment of a parent or spouse is easier said than done, we must do our very

best to understand the reasons for changes in behavior and family structure to assist the family

during this transition period. For this Russo, T., & Fallon, M. (2015) recommend using
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protective factors for families and children to aid them in becoming more resilient while also

restoring and promoting family and individual functioning.

One should not assume all military families will be affected the exact same way by the

deployment of a family member however it is important to maintain communication with your

child while their other parent is deployed and help them establish a new identity for the new

family structure. It is also important for the spouse to maintain contact with the deployed partner

although at times may be difficult, it is a necessity. Finally it is important for the deployed

military personnels family to help alleviate some of the guilt he may face upon return and help

them reintegrate into the family. Sories, F., Maier, C., Beer, A., & Thomas, V. (2015) noted that

the return of a parent from deployment is often greeted with joy and relief yet and still might also

be accompanied by pain from both the parent and the child. For this very reason I strongly

recommend the family to see a professional to help manage their mental/emotional state of

uncertainty. Military deployment will always cause problems, it is important that we only let it

deploy our family physically and never deploy the love we have for one another.
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References

Fish, T. L., Harrington, D., Bellin, M. H., & Shaw, T. V. (2014). The effect of deployment,

distress, and perceived social support on army spouses' weight status. U.S. Army Medical

Department Journal, 87-95.

Huebner, A. J., Mancini, J. A., Wilcox, R. M., Grass, S. R., & Grass, G. A. (2007). Parental

deployment and youth in military families: Exploring uncertainty and ambiguous loss.

Family Relations, 56(2), 112-122. doi:10.1111/j.1741-3729.2007.00445.x

McGuire, A. L., Kanesarajah, J., Runge, C. E., Ireland, R., Waller, M., & Dobson, A. J. (2016).

Effect of multiple deployments on military families: A cross-sectional study of health and

well-being of partners and children. Military Medicine, 181(4), 319-327.

doi:10.7205/MILMED-D-14-00310

Murphy, R. A., & Fairbank, J. A. (2013). Implementation and dissemination of military informed

and evidence-based interventions for community dwelling military families. Clinical

Child & Family Psychology Review, 16(4), 348-364. doi:10.1007/s10567-013-0149-8

Nguyen, D. R., Ee, J., Berry-Cabn, C. S., & Hoedebecke, K. (2014). The effects of military

deployment on early child development. U.S. Army Medical Department Journal, 81-86.

Paley, B., Lester, P., & Mogil, C. (2013). Family systems and ecological perspectives on the

impact of deployment on military families. Clinical Child & Family Psychology Review,

16(3), 245-265. doi:10.1007/s10567-013-0138-y

Rea, J., Behnke, A., Huff, N., & Allen, K. (2015). The role of online communication in the lives

of military spouses. Contemporary Family Therapy: An International Journal, 37(3),

329-339. doi:10.1007/s10591-015-9346-6
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Russo, T., & Fallon, M. (2015). Coping with stress: Supporting the needs of military families

and their children. Early Childhood Education Journal, 43(5), 407-416.

doi:10.1007/s10643-014-0665-2

Sories, F., Maier, C., Beer, A., & Thomas, V. (2015). Addressing the needs of military children

through family-based play therapy. Contemporary Family Therapy: An International

Journal, 37(3), 209-220. doi:10.1007/s10591-015-9342-x

Walsh, T. B., Dayton, C. J., Erwin, M. S., Muzik, M., Busuito, A., & Rosenblum, K. L. (2014).

Fathering after military deployment: Parenting challenges and goals of fathers of young

children. Health & Social Work, 39(1), 35-44.