The impact of repeated, back-to-back deployments has been called the “Military Families Syndrome”, a term coined during the Viet Nam War to characterize the behavioral and psychological problems of children of deployed parents.
Military family: Immediate family members related by blood, marriage, or adoption to a current member of the U.S. armed forces, including one who is deceased. If your program model focuses on providing services to veterans, military service members and their families, you MUST select among these measures.
The most recent survey found that time away from family, relocation/permanent change of station (PCS), and spouse under- and unemployment – all of which affect quality of life – ranked among the top concerns facing military families.
It explained “BRAT” as a status standing for British Regiment Attached Traveler, and it was assigned to families who were able to travel abroad with a soldier. Eventually, it just referred to military children. But the term stuck, and was adopted in many places around the world, including in the U.S.
Children in military families experience high rates of mental health, trauma and related problems. Military life can be a source of psychological stress for children. Multiple deployments, frequent moves and having a parent injured or die is a reality for many children in military families.
Children who grow up in military families have unique experiences compared to their civilian peers. They move frequently, spend extended periods of time away from their parents during deployment and training periods, and get indirect exposure to war, conflict and violence, often at a young age.
People may become angry when they feel threatened, harmed, or powerless. Some Veterans may be more likely to feel anger in everyday situations because of a traumatic event from past military experience, such as combat, physical or sexual abuse, injury, or the loss of a buddy from their unit.
Because of their families' service, military kids understand things like war and sacrifice a lot earlier than their peers. They become strong and resilient because they have to be.
The military moves its troops on a regular basis because they need a certain number of people at different bases for operations, missions, and specialized training. For the military member, relocation is also an opportunity for career advancement and broadening of experiences.
In the United States, a military brat (also known by various "brat" derivatives) is the child of a parent(s), adopted parent(s) or legal guardian(s) serving full-time in the United States Armed Forces, whether current or former.
The Problem. Military families commonly struggle to find high quality, affordable child care. While a lack of affordable child care is a national issue, the problem is even more acute for service members, who move frequently, often work irregular hours, or live far from extended family.
The stress of war, multiple deployments, and frequent moves can affect the wellness of military families. Children and spouses can experience anxiety, changes in relationships with family and friends, isolation or emotional challenges in dealing with deployments, illness or injury, and high mobility.
Military life results in uncertainty and breaks in routine, which can cause family members to experience high anxiety, depression, PTSD and long-term mental health and wellness injuries. Many spouses feel it will hurt their military partner's chances of promotion if they would seek help for stress or depression.
As shown in Table 1, a little over 40 percent of Active Duty members (43.7 percent) and of Reserve component members (42.8 percent) have children, with an average of two children per family.
Within military culture, the term military brat is not considered to be a pejorative (as in describing a spoiled child), but rather connotes affection and respect.
There are no laws governing military marriage. Military members can marry whomever they want, including same-sex partners.
Your chances of having your marriage end in divorce are even higher if you are a female member of the military. The divorce rate among women in the military is 4.54%. The divorce rate among men in the military, meanwhile, is 2.9%.
The difficult adjustment of reconnecting as a couple after having been used to being apart, coupled with other issues such as money, affairs, children, alcohol and physical abuse all increase the chance of divorce for military personnel. Overall, the combined divorce rate for the U.S. military is 3.7%.
Military rejuvenates your sense of optimism and passion to achieve lifelong goals. It is undeniable that military service changes you for good and makes you want to be the person your society, colleagues, friends, and family members can be proud of.
Recent research has shown that the children of deployed military personnel are at increased risk of emotional and behavioral difficulties when compared to the general population (Chandra, Burns, Tanielian, Jaycox, & Scott, 2008).
A quarter of parents admitted the time period between 6 and 8 years old held the most brutal meltdowns. The new survey asked 2,000 parents of school-age children about the ups, downs and precious moments they cherish.
They selflessly serve their community. Military children possess a strong sense of service — perhaps modeled after their military parents who serve and sacrifice daily. A shining example is last year's Army Military Child of the Year, Amelia McConnell.
» Most feared weapons were bomb fragments (36%), trench mortars (22%), artillery shells (18%). » Fear changes. Untried soldiers were more afraid of "being a coward" (36%) than of being crippled and disfigured (25%). But veterans dreaded crippling (39%) nore than showing their fears (8%).
When you serve in the military, you may be exposed to different types of traumas than civilians. The war you served in may also affect your risk because of the types of trauma that were common. War zone deployment, training accidents and military sexual trauma (or, MST) may lead to PTSD.
These qualities include honesty, courage, self-control, decency, and conviction of purpose. This is by no means a complete list, but those are the qualities that most good soldiers possess.