Risk and Resilience in Military and Veteran Families – serie

War-related separations challenge families in many ways. The worry and uncertainty associated with combat deployments provokes anxiety in family members left at home. Lengthy separations may challenge the personal, social, and economic coping resources of families at home. In this war, thanks to medical advances, many service members who previously would have died of their injuries are returning home to live long, although altered lives. As a result, families are facing the additional challenge of assisting service members who have experienced amputation, traumatic brain injury, and psychological wounds. These challenges are faced not only by service members in the active component of the armed forces, but also by service members in the National Guard and Reserves. In response, the Department of Defense has launched unprecedented efforts to support service members and families before, during and after deployment in all locations of the country as well as in remote locations. These support efforts are focused not only on medical care, but also mental health care and logistical support. Research about families and war tends to move forward in fits and starts associated with major conflicts, and there is currently an increasing flow of family research moving into the scientific domain. Military Families and the Aftermath of Deployment focuses heavily on the aftermath of deployment for families. It is the first compilation of such chapters released in relation to the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, and includes contributions from leading researchers from diverse disciplines and arenas, including universities, the Veterans Administration, and the Department of Defense, as well as international researchers from Canada, and Croatia, among others. This work will be of use to graduate students and researchers in family studies, social work, counseling, military science, psychology and sociology.

War-related separations challenge families in many ways. The worry and uncertainty associated with combat deployments provokes anxiety in family members left at home. Lengthy separations may challenge the personal, social, and economic coping resources of families at home. In this war, thanks to medical advances, many service members who previously would have died of their injuries are returning home to live long, although altered lives. As a result, families are facing the additional challenge of assisting service members who have experienced amputation, traumatic brain injury, and psychological wounds. These challenges are faced not only by service members in the active component of the armed forces, but also by service members in the National Guard and Reserves. In response, the Department of Defense has launched unprecedented efforts to support service members and families before, during and after deployment in all locations of the country as well as in remote locations. These support efforts are focused not only on medical care, but also mental health care and logistical support. Research about families and war tends to move forward in fits and starts associated with major conflicts, and there is currently an increasing flow of family research moving into the scientific domain. Military Families and the Aftermath of Deployment focuses heavily on the aftermath of deployment for families. It is the first compilation of such chapters released in relation to the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, and includes contributions from leading researchers from diverse disciplines and arenas, including universities, the Veterans Administration, and the Department of Defense, as well as international researchers from Canada, and Croatia, among others. This work will be of use to graduate students and researchers in family studies, social work, counseling, military science, psychology and sociology.

This reference examines the wide-ranging impact of militarylife on families, parenting, and child development. It examines the complex familyneeds of this diverse population, especially as familiar issues such as trauma,domestic violence, and child abuse manifest differently than in civilian life. Expertcontributors review findings on deployed mothers, active-duty fathers, and othermilitary parents while offering evidence for interventions and preventionprograms to enhance children’s healthy adjustment in this highly structured yetuncertain context. Its emphasis on resource and policy improvements keepsthe book focused on the evolution of military families in the face of future changeand challenges.Included in the coverage:Impactsof military life on young children and their parents.Parentingschool-age children and adolescents through military deployments. Parentingin military families faced with combat-related injury, illness, or death.The specialcase of civilian service members: supporting parents in the National Guardand Reserves.Interventionsto support and strengthen parenting in military families: state of theevidence.Militaryparenting in the digital age: existing practices, new possibilities.Addressing a major need in family and parenting studies, Parenting and Children’s Resilience inMilitary Families is necessary reading for scholars and practitioners interested in parenting and military family research.

This unique resource provides findings and insights regarding the multiple impacts of military duty on service members and veterans, specifically from a family standpoint. Broad areas of coverage include marital and family relationships, parenting issues, family effects of war injuries, and family concerns of single service members. The book's diverse contents highlight understudied populations and topics gaining wider interest while examining the immediate and long-term impact of service on family functioning. In addition to raising awareness of issues, chapters point to potential solutions including science-based pre- and post-deployment programs, more responsive training for practitioners, and more focused research and policy directions. Among the topics covered: • Deployment and divorce: an in-depth analysis by relevant demographic and military characteristics. • Military couples and posttraumatic stress: interpersonally based behaviors and cognitions as mechanisms of individual and couple distress. • Warfare and parent care: armed conflict and the social logic of child and national protection. • Understanding the experiences of women and LGBT veterans in Department of Veterans Affairs care. • Risk and resilience factors in combat military health care providers. • Tangible, instrumental, and emotional support among homeless veterans. War and Family Life offers up-to-date understanding for mental health professionals who serve military families, both in the U.S. and abroad.

This unique reference integrates knowledge culled from fifteen years of U.S. deployments to create an action plan for supporting military and veteran families during future conflicts. Its innovative ideas stretch beyond designated governmental agencies (e.g., Department of Defense, VA) to include participation from, and possible collaborations with, the business/corporate, academic, advocacy, and philanthropic sectors. Contributors identify ongoing and emerging issues affecting military and veteran families and recommend specific strategies toward expanding and enhancing current programs and policy. This proactive agenda also outlines new directions for mobilizing the research community, featuring strategies for addressing institutional challenges and improving access to critical data.Included in the coverage: Lessons learned inside the Pentagon.Merging reintegration streams for veterans and military families.The unique role of professional associations in assisting military families: a case study.   Philanthropy for military and veteran families: challenges past, recommendations for tomorrow.Rules of engagement: media coverage of military families during war.   Designing and implementing strategic research studies to support military families.A Battle Plan for Supporting Military Families is of immediate usefulness to leaders, professionals, and future professionals in interdisciplinary academic, governmental, advocacy, and philanthropic areas of focus interested in the theoretical, practical, and real-life concerns and needs of military-affiliated families.

This reference examines the wide-ranging impact of militarylife on families, parenting, and child development. It examines the complex familyneeds of this diverse population, especially as familiar issues such as trauma,domestic violence, and child abuse manifest differently than in civilian life. Expertcontributors review findings on deployed mothers, active-duty fathers, and othermilitary parents while offering evidence for interventions and preventionprograms to enhance children’s healthy adjustment in this highly structured yetuncertain context. Its emphasis on resource and policy improvements keepsthe book focused on the evolution of military families in the face of future changeand challenges.Included in the coverage:Impactsof military life on young children and their parents.Parentingschool-age children and adolescents through military deployments. Parentingin military families faced with combat-related injury, illness, or death.The specialcase of civilian service members: supporting parents in the National Guardand Reserves.Interventionsto support and strengthen parenting in military families: state of theevidence.Militaryparenting in the digital age: existing practices, new possibilities.Addressing a major need in family and parenting studies, Parenting and Children’s Resilience inMilitary Families is necessary reading for scholars and practitioners interested in parenting and military family research.

This unique resource provides findings and insights regarding the multiple impacts of military duty on service members and veterans, specifically from a family standpoint. Broad areas of coverage include marital and family relationships, parenting issues, family effects of war injuries, and family concerns of single service members. The book's diverse contents highlight understudied populations and topics gaining wider interest while examining the immediate and long-term impact of service on family functioning. In addition to raising awareness of issues, chapters point to potential solutions including science-based pre- and post-deployment programs, more responsive training for practitioners, and more focused research and policy directions. Among the topics covered: • Deployment and divorce: an in-depth analysis by relevant demographic and military characteristics. • Military couples and posttraumatic stress: interpersonally based behaviors and cognitions as mechanisms of individual and couple distress. • Warfare and parent care: armed conflict and the social logic of child and national protection. • Understanding the experiences of women and LGBT veterans in Department of Veterans Affairs care. • Risk and resilience factors in combat military health care providers. • Tangible, instrumental, and emotional support among homeless veterans. War and Family Life offers up-to-date understanding for mental health professionals who serve military families, both in the U.S. and abroad.