Conclusions and a Research Agenda for Parenting in Military Families

Chapter
First Online:
Part of the Risk and Resilience in Military and Veteran Families book series (RRMV)

Abstract

This book aims to provide a twenty-first century perspective on parenting in military families. In this concluding chapter, we discuss the current state of military parenting science and propose a research agenda to advance knowledge about parenting in military families over the next decade. We focus on research content and methodology, addressing limitations of current studies, as well as emerging issues of interest. In part, our proposed research agenda follows from new or emerging demographic, operational, and policy trends affecting families. Concerted and unified efforts in research, policy, and practice will be required to strengthen well-being among military children, youth, and families. Efforts must bridge military and civilian communities. The combined contributions of developmental psychologists, neuroscientists, family researchers, prevention scientists, public health experts, and others will be required to generate new knowledge to support military children and their families.

Keywords

Service Member Experiential Avoidance Military Family Public Health Expert Positive Engagement 
These keywords were added by machine and not by the authors. This process is experimental and the keywords may be updated as the learning algorithm improves.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in to check access.

References

  1. Arenstein, S. J. (2011). The effect of deployment frequencies on the military divorce rate. (Master’s thesis). Retrieved from http://www.dtic.mil/cgi-bin/GetTRDoc?Location=U2&doc=GetTRDoc.pdf&AD=ADA543768
  2. Armed Forces Health Surveillance Center (AFHSC). (2012). Health of women after wartime deployments: Correlates of risk for selected medical conditions among females after initial and repeat deployments to Afghanistan and Iraq, active component, U.S. Armed Forces. Medical Surveillance Monthly Report, 19(7), 2–10.Google Scholar
  3. Boss, P. (2015). On the usefulness of theory: Applying family therapy and family science to the relational developmental systems metamodel. Journal of Family Theory & Review, 7, 105–108. doi: 10.1111/jftr.12068 CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  4. Brockman, C., Snyder, J., Gewirtz, A., Gird, S. R., Quattlebaum, J., Schmidt, N., … DeGarmo, D. (2016). Relationship of service members’ deployment trauma, PTSD Symptoms, and experiential avoidance to postdeployment family reengagement. Journal of Family Psychology, 30,52–62.Google Scholar
  5. Carter, S., Loew, B., Allen, E., Stanley, S., Markman, H., & Rhoades, G. (2011). Relationships between soldiers’ PTSD symptoms and spousal communication during deployment. Journal of Traumatic Stress, 24, 352–355. doi: 10.1002/jts.20649 CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  6. Carter, S. P., & Renshaw, K. D. (2015). Spousal communication during military deployments: A review. Journal of Family Issues, 0192513X14567956 doi: 10.1177/0192513X14567956
  7. Cicchetti, D. (2008). A multiple-levels-of-analysis perspective on research in development and psychopathology. In T. P. Beauchaine & S. P. Hinshaw (Eds.), Child and Adolescent Psychopathology (pp. 27–57). Hoboken, NJ: Wiley.Google Scholar
  8. Cicchetti, D., & Dawson, G. (Eds.). (2002). Multiple levels of analysis. Developmental and Psychopathology, 14, 417–420.Google Scholar
  9. Cowan, P. A., & Cowan, C. P. (2002). Interventions as tests of family systems theories: Marital and family relationships in children’s development, and psychopathology. Development and Psychopathology, 14, 731–760 (Special issue on Interventions as tests of theories).CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  10. Forgatch, M. S., Patterson, G. R., & Gewirtz, A. H. (2013). Looking forward the promise of widespread implementation of parent training programs. Perspectives on Psychological Science, 8, 682–694.Google Scholar
  11. Gewirtz, A. H., McMorris, B. J., Hanson, S., & Davis, L. (2014). Family adjustment of deployed and nondeployed mothers in families with a parent deployed to Iraq or Afghanistan. Professional Psychology, 45, 465–477. doi: 10.1037/a0036235 CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  12. Hostinar, C. E., & Gunnar, M. R. (2013). The developmental effects of early life stress: An overview of current theoretical frameworks. Current Directions in Psychological Science, 22, 400–406. http://doi.org/10.1177/0963721413488889 CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  13. Houston, J. B., Pfefferbaum, B., Sherman, M. D., Melson, A. G., & Brand, M. W. (2013). Family communication across the military deployment experience: Child and spouse report of communication frequency and quality and associated emotions, behaviors, and reactions. Journal of Loss and Trauma, 18, 103–119.Google Scholar
  14. Jones, S. (2012). The future of irregular warfare. Santa Monica, CA: The Rand Corporation. Retrieved from http://www.rand.org/content/dam/rand/pubs/testimonies/2012/RAND_CT374.pdf Google Scholar
  15. Lerner, R. M., Johnson, S. K., & Buckingham, M. H. (2015). Relational developmental systems-based theories and the study of children and families: Lerner and Spanier (1978) revisited. Journal of Family Theory & Review, 7, 83–104.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  16. Lyons, D. M., Parker, K. J., & Schatzberg, A. F. (2010). Animal models of early life stress: Implications for understanding resilience. Developmental Psychobiology, 52, 402–410. http://doi.org/10.1002/dev.20429 CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  17. Merolla, A. J. (2010). Relational maintenance during military deployment: Perspectives of wives of deployed US soldiers. Journal of Applied Communication Research, 38, 4–26.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  18. Ministry of Defence (MOD). (2005). Assessing and reporting military readiness. National Audit Office. Retrieved from http://www.nao.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2005/06/050672.pdf
  19. Murphy, R. A., & Fairbank, J. A. (2013). Implementation and dissemination of military informed and evidence-based interventions for community dwelling military families. Clinical Child and Family Psychology Review, 16, 348–364.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  20. NICHD Early Child Care Research Network. (1997). The effects of infant child care on infant-mother attachment security: Results of the NICHD Study of Early Child Care. Child Development, 68, 860–879.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  21. Pew Research Center. (2011). The Military-civilian gap: Fewer family connections. Retrieved from http://www.pewsocialtrends.org/2011/11/23/the-military-civilian-gap-fewer-family-connections/
  22. Rodriguez, A. J., & Margolin, G. (2015). Parental incarceration, transnational migration, and military deployment: Family process mechanisms of youth adjustment to temporary parent absence. Clinical Child and Family Psychology Review, 18, 24–49. doi: 10.1007/s10567-014-0176-0 CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  23. Rutter, M., & Sroufe, L. A. (2000). Developmental psychopathology: Concepts and challenges. Developmental and Psychopathology, 12, 265–296.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  24. Sheridan, M., & Nelson, C. A. (2009). Neurobiology of fetal and infant development. Handbook of Infant Mental Health, 3, 40–58.Google Scholar
  25. Shonkoff, J. P., & Phillips, D. A. (Eds.). (2000). Committee on integrating the science of early childhood development. From neurons to neighborhoods: The Science of Early Childhood Development (pp. 39–56). Washington, DC: National Academies Press. Retrieved from http://site.ebrary.com/lib/columbia/Doc?id=10038720&ppg=60 Google Scholar

Copyright information

© Springer International Publishing Switzerland 2016

Authors and Affiliations

  1. 1.Department of Family Social Science, Institute of Child Development and Institute for Translational Research in Children’s Mental HealthUniversity of MinnesotaMinneapolisUSA
  2. 2.Institute for Translational Research in Children’s Mental HealthUniversity of MinnesotaMinneapolisUSA

Personalised recommendations