The Unique Challenges of Military Families

Description:

This training module provides civilian mental health providers with an overview of the unique characteristics of military family life.  It begins with a review of the basic demographics of military families and a discussion of the variability among military families.  Normative stressors associated with military family life are then reviewed.  The training module also provides information on marriage and divorce in the military, as well as on issues specific to military spouses and military children.  It then concludes with an exploration of family resilience, with an emphasis on promoting resilience in military families.

Learning Objectives:

  1. Discuss variability among military families (e.g., variability in family structure, members).
  2. Identify normative stressors common to military families.
  3. Describe mechanisms of resiliency and protective factors present in military families.

Outline:

  1. Military Families “By the Numbers”

    1. Who Gets Counted
    2. Family Demographics
    3. Marital Status
    4. Parental Status
    5. Marriage & Divorce
    6. Age of Children
  2. Military Family Life
    1. Greedy Institutions
    2. Normative Military Family Stressors
    3. PCS Challenges
    4. Moving Overseas
    5. Emotional Cycle of Deployment
  3. Variability Among Military Families
    1. Dual-Military Marriages
    2. Single Parents
    3. LGB Families
    4. Families with Special Needs
    5. Single Service Members
    6. Parents of Service Members
    7. Military Caregivers
  4. Military Marriages
    1. Unique Attributes of Military Marriages
    2. Marriage and Divorce in the Military
    3. Increased Hazard of Divorce
    4. Marital Quality
    5. Interpersonal Conflict After Deployment
  5. Military Spouses
    1. Military Spouse Identity
    2. Military Spouse Employment
    3. Male Military Spouses
  6. Military Children
    1. Normative Military Stressors for Children
    2. Resiliency in Military Children
    3. Adverse Outcomes Among Military-Connected Youth
    4. As Goes the Parent, So Goes the Child
    5. Parental Deployment and Adolescent Mental Health
    6. Impact of Deployment on Children
    7. Child Development and Reunion & Reintegration
  7. Building Family Resilience
    1. Definition of Family Resilience
    2. Family Resilience Factors
    3. Keys to Family Resilience
    4. 7 Cs of Child Resilience
    5. Factors Promoting Resilience During Separations
    6. Threats to Resilience
    7. The Impact of Mental Health Issues
    8. Promoting Resilience in Military Families
    9. Building Military Spouses’ Resilience
    10. Helping Children Manage Military Stressors
    11. Themes for Therapy
  8. Resources for Military Families
    1. Military OneSource
    2. Families OverComing Under Stress
    3. Military Kids Connect
    4. Sesame Street Toolkit
    5. Operation Purple Camps
    6. Mobile Apps for Military Families
    7. Additional Resource