(BUSINESS WIRE)--In the largest study to date looking at the emotional well-being of military children, there is now scientific confirmation to many anecdotal reports of the impact of a parent’s deployment on the well-being of a child. The results, published today in the journal Pediatrics, are the first findings of a large-scale, cross-Service and cross-component research study on military children.
The National Military Family Association commissioned the RAND Corporation to follow military children for 12 months, summer 2008 through summer 2009, surveying them and their parent or caregiver on three occasions to answer two key questions: how are school-age military children faring and what types of issues do military children face related to deployment? The baseline findings released today set the stage for results from the follow-up surveys to be reported in subsequent studies.
Study results are consistent across Service branches:
* As the months of parental deployment increased so did the child’s challenges. The total number of months away mattered more than the number of deployments.
* Older children experienced more difficulties during deployment.
* There is a direct correlation between the mental health of the caregiver and the well-being of the child.
* Girls experienced more difficulty during reintegration, the period of months readjusting after the service member’s homecoming.
* About one-third of the children reported symptoms of anxiety, which is somewhat higher than the percentage reported in other studies of children.
“These findings back up what we have been hearing from parents about the impacts of parental deployments on children,” said National Military Family Association Executive Director Joyce Raezer. “While military families are determined to stay strong and healthy, our Nation has been at war for nearly eight years now. We owe it to military families to better understand and address the challenges they are facing now, and may be facing later. Commissioning this research is the first step in doing that.”
Families with a child between the ages of 11 and 17 who applied to the National Military Family Association’s 2008 Operation Purple® Summer Camp program were invited to participate in the survey. Among the 1,507 parent and child sets surveyed (3,014 total participants), 57 percent of the children were from Army families, 20 percent had a parent in the Air Force, 17 percent were Navy families, and the remainder had parents in the Marine Corps or Coast Guard. About 63 percent of the parents were in the active component, with the rest in the National Guard or Reserve.
The study found no significant differences among children based on the Service branch of the parent or whether they were a part of the active or reserve component of the military. Ninety-five percent of children had experienced at least one parental deployment in the three years prior to the study, and nearly 40 percent were going through a deployment at the time of the interview. The study’s participation rate was 97% indicating the importance families place on the need for this research.
What does this mean for military families? This study presents clear evidence that many families are still experiencing stress. There are many good programs from both military and private organizations that support military children and military families; however, quality and outreach are inconsistent, some programs are redundant, and needs remain to be filled. Current programs were created with the best information available at the time. Now that new research-based information is available, the National Military Family Association is calling on all organizations — including the Department of Defense — to use these findings to assess their current offerings.
The Association wants to see best practices replicated and greater targeted support when and where most needed. Because the total months of separation matters to children’s well-being, support programs must continue to be available for families facing their second, third, and fourth deployments. These families need support programs and their community as much as, or more than, those saying goodbye for the first time.
What is next? The National Military Family Association is gathering key nonprofit, military, corporate, education, community, faith-based, and research leaders to form an expert task force and lead a national conversation on the needs of military children and families. In May 2010, the task force will present a plan to address both the immediate and long-term research implications. The task force working groups will focus on the following goals: building resiliency in youth, addressing the needs of girls, engaging communities to support military families, investing in military spouses, and improving the mental health of caregivers and kids.
“Our 40 years of service have made us a trusted resource for families and the Nation’s leaders and we are uniquely qualified to lead the search for solutions, focused on building on best practices and creating partnerships,” Raezer added.
Families and caring adults in military kids’ lives can visit, www.MilitaryFamily.org, for a list of ways to support military families or download the “10 Things Military Teens Want You to Know” toolkit. Also, a link to a downloadable copy of the complete Pediatrics article about the study can be found at www.MilitaryFamily.org/study.
The research project was made possible through grants to the National Military Family Association from the Robertson Foundation, the Sierra Club and Sierra Club Foundation.
The study was jointly conducted by RAND Health, a division of the nonprofit RAND Corporation, and the RAND National Security Research Division.
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Showing posts with label families. Show all posts
Showing posts with label families. Show all posts
08 December 2009
30 September 2009
New Tools to Assist Military Families and Teens Through Difficult Transitions Launched Today by Partnership for a Drug-Free America
/PRNewswire-/ -- The Partnership for a Drug-Free America(R), together with the National Military Family Association and the National Association of School Nurses, today announced the launch of new online tools to assist military families and teens through difficult periods of transition, such as a deployment, major injury or illness of a parent, or when moving frequently to new neighborhoods and schools. The free tools are available at the Partnership Web site TimeToTalk.org/Military. The effort is the first collaboration between the three organizations to provide assistance with the complex, extraordinary circumstances often faced by military families, especially in wartime, when families are in particular need of this kind of help and support.
The new military family support tools were announced today at a press event sponsored by Senator Claire McCaskill (D-MO). McCaskill has previously introduced the SUPPORT Substance Use Disorders Act which would make addiction treatment more readily available to members of the military and would provide privacy protections to those seeking help.
"I'm extremely pleased to support the launch of this important initiative," said Senator McCaskill, adding "Our servicemen and women need and deserve access to family support resources that are based on research and developed for their specific needs by experts such as the Partnership, the National Military Family Association and the National Association of School Nurses."
According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse, the key risk periods for adolescent drug abuse are during major transitions - such as moving to a new school or community - and Partnership research shows that stress in school is a major reason for adolescent substance abuse. For military teens, transitions often become a way of life, as each year a third of military families move to new neighborhoods and almost half of military parents report that their kids have difficulty making social adjustments following a move to a new town. Many of these teens are also coping with the added stresses of having one or both parents deployed, or even worse, dealing with the difficulty of a parent who has been injured or killed in combat.
"While these are difficult, unsettling times for families across our nation, the added stress and rate of change faced by military families and their teens can sometimes push kids towards risky and dangerous behavior," said Steve Pasierb, President of the Partnership for a Drug-Free America. "We are committed to working together with the National Military Family Association and the National Association of School Nurses, to help military families safeguard their children during times of transition and when they are more vulnerable to making unhealthy choices about alcohol and drugs."
The new resources available at TimeToTalk.org/Military include (1) Transitions and Teens: A Guide for Military Parents, (2) The Military Talk Kit, (3) 10 Things School Nurses Want You To Know and (4) 10 Things Military Teens Want You To Know. The research-based guide in particular provides critical information to reduce stress and help keep teens drug and alcohol-free during difficult transition periods. Included within this information is a helpful checklist for pairing teen transition scenarios with a list of recommended tips, providing parents with a 'roadmap' for starting and maintaining open conversations, answering tough questions and advice for monitoring the warning signs of drug and alcohol abuse.
Time To Talk(R) is the Partnership's movement designed to help parents and caregivers start and maintain open, honest dialogue with their children, helping them talk with their kids about the risks of drugs and alcohol. Partnership research has shown that teens who consistently learn about the risks of drugs from their parents are up to 50 percent less likely to use drugs and alcohol than those who do not.
"We're extremely pleased to work with the Partnership as we make these critical tools available to military families and their teens who may be at risk," said Mary Scott, National Military Family Association Chairman of the Board. "While they've often shown resilience in the face of major change and adversity, should a military parent or family need extra help with the challenges of a transition, from keeping a checklist of tips to finding ways to stay actively involved in their teen's life through conversations, we're here to help."
"As school nurses, we're very familiar with the stress teens face with starting over in a new school in unfamiliar territory," said Amy Garcia, Executive Director of the National Association of School Nurses. "When you couple that with the uncertainty of a parent being deployed for an unspecified length of time, or living with the very intense reality of post-traumatic stress disorder, it's clear military teens face special circumstances that require special attention. We're pleased to collaborate with the Partnership and the National Military Family Association to provide the necessary tools to help make the transitions easier."
Time To Talk reaches parents and caregivers through the support and dedication of its corporate sponsors. A&E Television Networks, a Time To Talk sponsor, recently devoted an episode of its highly-rated television show "Intervention" to the struggles of three returning veterans to overcome addiction ("Addiction in Uniform") and are publicizing our new resources for military families to their millions of viewers.
Other 2009 Time To Talk sponsors include Consumer Healthcare Products Association, Comcast, The Hershey Company, King Pharmaceuticals, Inc., Major League Baseball Charities, Wyeth Consumer Healthcare and Yahoo!
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The new military family support tools were announced today at a press event sponsored by Senator Claire McCaskill (D-MO). McCaskill has previously introduced the SUPPORT Substance Use Disorders Act which would make addiction treatment more readily available to members of the military and would provide privacy protections to those seeking help.
"I'm extremely pleased to support the launch of this important initiative," said Senator McCaskill, adding "Our servicemen and women need and deserve access to family support resources that are based on research and developed for their specific needs by experts such as the Partnership, the National Military Family Association and the National Association of School Nurses."
According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse, the key risk periods for adolescent drug abuse are during major transitions - such as moving to a new school or community - and Partnership research shows that stress in school is a major reason for adolescent substance abuse. For military teens, transitions often become a way of life, as each year a third of military families move to new neighborhoods and almost half of military parents report that their kids have difficulty making social adjustments following a move to a new town. Many of these teens are also coping with the added stresses of having one or both parents deployed, or even worse, dealing with the difficulty of a parent who has been injured or killed in combat.
"While these are difficult, unsettling times for families across our nation, the added stress and rate of change faced by military families and their teens can sometimes push kids towards risky and dangerous behavior," said Steve Pasierb, President of the Partnership for a Drug-Free America. "We are committed to working together with the National Military Family Association and the National Association of School Nurses, to help military families safeguard their children during times of transition and when they are more vulnerable to making unhealthy choices about alcohol and drugs."
The new resources available at TimeToTalk.org/Military include (1) Transitions and Teens: A Guide for Military Parents, (2) The Military Talk Kit, (3) 10 Things School Nurses Want You To Know and (4) 10 Things Military Teens Want You To Know. The research-based guide in particular provides critical information to reduce stress and help keep teens drug and alcohol-free during difficult transition periods. Included within this information is a helpful checklist for pairing teen transition scenarios with a list of recommended tips, providing parents with a 'roadmap' for starting and maintaining open conversations, answering tough questions and advice for monitoring the warning signs of drug and alcohol abuse.
Time To Talk(R) is the Partnership's movement designed to help parents and caregivers start and maintain open, honest dialogue with their children, helping them talk with their kids about the risks of drugs and alcohol. Partnership research has shown that teens who consistently learn about the risks of drugs from their parents are up to 50 percent less likely to use drugs and alcohol than those who do not.
"We're extremely pleased to work with the Partnership as we make these critical tools available to military families and their teens who may be at risk," said Mary Scott, National Military Family Association Chairman of the Board. "While they've often shown resilience in the face of major change and adversity, should a military parent or family need extra help with the challenges of a transition, from keeping a checklist of tips to finding ways to stay actively involved in their teen's life through conversations, we're here to help."
"As school nurses, we're very familiar with the stress teens face with starting over in a new school in unfamiliar territory," said Amy Garcia, Executive Director of the National Association of School Nurses. "When you couple that with the uncertainty of a parent being deployed for an unspecified length of time, or living with the very intense reality of post-traumatic stress disorder, it's clear military teens face special circumstances that require special attention. We're pleased to collaborate with the Partnership and the National Military Family Association to provide the necessary tools to help make the transitions easier."
Time To Talk reaches parents and caregivers through the support and dedication of its corporate sponsors. A&E Television Networks, a Time To Talk sponsor, recently devoted an episode of its highly-rated television show "Intervention" to the struggles of three returning veterans to overcome addiction ("Addiction in Uniform") and are publicizing our new resources for military families to their millions of viewers.
Other 2009 Time To Talk sponsors include Consumer Healthcare Products Association, Comcast, The Hershey Company, King Pharmaceuticals, Inc., Major League Baseball Charities, Wyeth Consumer Healthcare and Yahoo!
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08 May 2009
Governor Perdue Signs Bills Assisting Children of Military Families
Yesterday Governor Sonny Perdue visited Fort Benning in Columbus to sign Senate Bill 114, sponsored by Sen. Ed Harbison, to ease the transfer and transition for school-aged children of active duty members of the military and House Bill 484, sponsored by Rep. Larry O’Neal, that deems the dependent children of military personnel stationed in Georgia on active duty as residents for the purposes of receiving the HOPE scholarship.
“Our state has a long and proud and history of supporting our nation’s soldiers, and we are truly grateful for the service of our military families,” said Governor Perdue. “These pieces of legislation continue Georgia’s strong support for those serving in our Armed Forces here in Georgia.”
The Governor was joined at the bill signing ceremony by Major General Michael Barbero, Colonel Thomas Macdonald, other members of the military and members of the Columbus Chamber of Commerce.
“SB 114 makes sure that as military families move into Georgia, their children are not hindered by bureaucratic red tape,” said Sen. Harbison.
“HB 484 expands HOPE eligibility to the children of military personnel stationed in Georgia,” said Rep. O’Neal. “These families have earned the support of our state.”
The Chattahoochee Valley Region will grow by nearly 28,000 new people over the next few years as a result of the Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) Act. This robust population growth will bring many new military families to the state, and these bills and other past initiatives will ensure that students seamlessly transfer into Georgia schools.
“Thanks to the tremendous support of Fort Benning, the Columbus legislative delegation, the Greater Columbus Chamber of Commerce and Governor Perdue, SB 114 & HB 484 are being signed demonstrating another example of the special "public-private partnership" in the Greater Columbus Region,” said Mike Gaymon, President & CEO Greater Columbus Georgia Chamber of Commerce.
“Our state has a long and proud and history of supporting our nation’s soldiers, and we are truly grateful for the service of our military families,” said Governor Perdue. “These pieces of legislation continue Georgia’s strong support for those serving in our Armed Forces here in Georgia.”
The Governor was joined at the bill signing ceremony by Major General Michael Barbero, Colonel Thomas Macdonald, other members of the military and members of the Columbus Chamber of Commerce.
“SB 114 makes sure that as military families move into Georgia, their children are not hindered by bureaucratic red tape,” said Sen. Harbison.
“HB 484 expands HOPE eligibility to the children of military personnel stationed in Georgia,” said Rep. O’Neal. “These families have earned the support of our state.”
The Chattahoochee Valley Region will grow by nearly 28,000 new people over the next few years as a result of the Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) Act. This robust population growth will bring many new military families to the state, and these bills and other past initiatives will ensure that students seamlessly transfer into Georgia schools.
“Thanks to the tremendous support of Fort Benning, the Columbus legislative delegation, the Greater Columbus Chamber of Commerce and Governor Perdue, SB 114 & HB 484 are being signed demonstrating another example of the special "public-private partnership" in the Greater Columbus Region,” said Mike Gaymon, President & CEO Greater Columbus Georgia Chamber of Commerce.
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