10 December 2008 • Volume 15, Supplement The Prevention Researcher www.TPRonline.org

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Supporting Youth During Parental Deployment: Strategies for Professionals and FamiliesBy Angela J. Huebner, Ph.D., and Jay A. Mancini, Ph.D.

The Global War on Terrorism has heightened our awareness of the sacrifices of military service members and their families. Over half (55%) of active military members are married and about 43% have children (40% of whom are under the age of 5 years, 32% between the ages of 6 and 11, and 24% between the ages of 12 and 18) (Office of the Deputy Under Secretary of Defense, 2005). There are currently about 263,000 service members deployed overseas, with the vast majority located in Iraq and Afghanistan (Glod, 2008). Their service has often included multiple deployments —meaning that they have been in war zones for 12–15 months, back in the U.S. for 12 months, then deployed again (Morse, 2006). The experience of being deployed is obviously a stressful situation for both the military service member and his or her family. There are particular and significant ways youth development professionals can provide support to youth and to their families. These strategies are briefly described below. Quotes from youth who participated in our focus groups are included to highlight some of the deployment- related issues they face.

THE DEPLOYMENT CYCLE AND FAMILIES’ ADJUSTMENT

Deployment is the assignment of military personnel to temporary, unaccompanied (meaning no family) tours of duty. It is usually divided into three phases: (1) Pre-Deployment/Preparation, (2) Deployment/Separation, and (3) Post-Deployment/Reunion. Each phase of the deployment cycle has unique associated family stressors (Morse, 2006).

Pre-deployment usually includes “mobilization.” During mobilization, service members prepare for war or other national emergencies by organizing their resources. Although service members are not necessarily sent overseas during mobilization, they may be required to relocate to a military installation to complete their tasks. Mobilization begins the process of family separation and the associated stressors, including loss (Huebner, Mancini, Wilcox, Grass, & Grass, 2007). Mobilization raises family concerns about financial constraints, employment changes, increased childcare needs, and social support. Depending on the family structure, plans may be made for the military connected youth to go live with relatives or other guardians. In our investigations (e.g. Huebner & Mancini, 2005) we often find that grandparents assume a pivotal role in providing various kinds of support for youth and their families. If the relatives are not nearby, this may mean changing schools and leaving friends. These are important issues families must consider before the military member leaves.

Deployment occurs when the service member is actually assigned a tour of duty. During this phase of the cycle, the service member usually becomes geographically separated from his or her family. Regardless of whether or not the family has to relocate, the absence of the service member is stressful for the family. However, in some families, the absence relieves family tension. The service member’s spouse is now acting as a single parent. He or she likely has sole responsibility for maintaining the household and raising the children. The family financial situation may necessitate the parent take on a new job or change jobs. If the deployed parent was a single parent to begin with, these problems are intensified.

If youth are unable to communicate with their deployed parent they may feel isolated. They worry about their parent’s safety, particularly due to the massive media coverage of conflicts. Because of the changed family structure, youth may be experiencing inconsistent parenting, or changes in the family schedule, responsibilities, and rules. These changes may be particularly acute for National Guard and Reserve members who have traditionally had part-time commitments. They and their families may have never defined themselves as military families and thus never accessed military support systems.

“ The first day after he [dad] left, it was like no one wanted to do anything. We just wanted to sit in the house and stare at the walls…”

-teen male

Post-Deployment refers to the time when the service member returns home. Although this is a potentially joyful time, it is also stressful due to struggles over family reorganization. Depending on the length of the deployment, the family may have functioned without the military member for several months or even years. Usually the family has adapted to the new structure and roles. When the military member returns, it may upset the balance that had been achieved. Roles need to be renegotiated, not just between adults in the family but also between adults and youth. Returning military members may feel like they are no longer needed in their families and youth may be hesitant to give up newly acquired responsibilities. In addition, very pragmatic issues are faced, including concerns about the service member’s civilian employment status.

DEPLOYMENT IMPACTS ON FAMILIES

Families experience the impacts of military deployments in various ways. Although deployment is a stressful situation for all families, families vary in their degree of resilience in coping with the situation. Several factors have been shown to influence the effect of deployments on families. These include the quality of pre-deployment family relationships; the age, sex, and maturity of children; the meaning of the absence to the family; the extent of danger to which the

When the military member returns…roles need to be renegotiated, not just between adults in the family but also between adults and youth.

www.TPRonline.org The Prevention Researcher Volume 15, Supplement • December 2008 11

military member is exposed; and how the remaining spouse deals with the absence, including her or his coping skills and mental health status (Huebner & Mancini, 2005; Huebner & Powell, 2007; Jensen & Shaw, 1996).

Researchers have linked parental deployment (usually defined as father deployment) to several youth outcomes. These include depression, acting out or negative behavioral adjustment, poor academic performance, and increased irritability and impulsiveness (Hiew, 1992; Hillenbrand, 1976; Huebner & Mancini, 2005; Jensen, Martin, Watanabe, 1996; Levai, Kaplan, Ackerman, & Hammock, 1995; Yeatman, 1981). Research conducted with military families also demonstrates that the mental health of the at-home parent (usually the mother) is very influential in determining child adjustment (Huebner & Powell, 2007; Jensen et al., 1996).

“ When my dad left, I stayed separate from the family. I would really keep to myself. …I was taking on more and more responsibilities and I was taking charge so I tried to hide my feelings because my mom and my sister were constantly crying and stuff so I was always trying to comfort them. And I couldn’t show any emotion for that because I had to be the strong one. I was hiding my emotions at certain times then always lashing out at certain people that maybe I shouldn’t have been.”

-teen female

PROVIDING SUPPORTIn the summer of 2004, early in the deployments for the Global War on Terrorism, we conducted focus groups with youth who were currently experiencing parental deployment to an active war zone (Huebner et al., 2007; see Huebner & Mancini, 2005 for the full report). For those affiliated with the National Guard or Reserve force, this marked the first time for such a separation; it also marked the first time these youth even considered themselves part of the military system. The primary purpose of this study was to explore the many dimensions of the deployment experiences of teens in military families, so that military and civilian program professionals could be more intentional and directed regarding developing support programs for young people.

Youth were identified via their attendance in one of several camps sponsored by the National Military Family Association designed for those with deployed military parents. Study participants were 107 ethnically diverse adolescent boys and girls ranging in age from 12 to 18 years. Active duty service representation included 39% Army, 3% Navy, 10% Air Force, and 4% Marines; 23% of participants had parents in the National Guard (all services), and 13% in the Reserves (all services). The vast majority of youth in this study stated that they had a father deployed.

As part of the process, youth were asked about their support networks. Youth’s responses clustered around 1) informal supports, 2) formal supports, and 3) support processes.

Informal support received from family members, friends, and others not connected with a support service or program are invaluable for providing opportunities for youth to deal with concerns associated with a parent’s deployment. Informal support is evidenced in talking about worries, or merely by having others to spend time with in enjoyable activities. Youth mentioned a number of sources that were supportive to them, including parents and grandparents, friends who are also in military families, as well as friends who are not. They reported that others often gave them a chance to release tensions by talking. Having others to engage with in activities diverted their attention from deployment worries.

It is important to note that some reported they did not seek out people with whom to talk about deployment-related worries—

Research conducted with military families demonstrates that the mental health of the at-home parent is very influential in determining child adjustment.

they spoke about times when informal support was not helpful. For example, some teens said they felt others almost over-reacted when hearing about their concerns on deployment, or felt that people were just being polite by listening to them.

“ I’ve got one friend that will actually talk about it because she has a brother being deployed soon. But all the rest of my friends don’t, it sort of makes them uncomfortable for me to talk about it, and that makes me uncomfortable, too.”

-teen female

We associate formal support as that originating within agencies and organizations, including churches, civic groups, as well as military youth serving agencies (Mancini, Bowen, & Martin, 2005). Within these formal organizations, relationships among participants often develop, so that formal support and informal support become interrelated. Formal support personnel include teachers, counselors and therapists, and youth workers. Regardless of formal support source, most teens are open to formal support services if the teens feel like those services are relevant and that the adults offering those services can empathize with teens because of their own similar experiences with deployment.

“ I feel like my teachers are more understanding and you know, more apt to give me an extension on my homework because they know about my family. Because I had this one teacher whose dad was deployed and he died while he was over there. And you know, she just took me under her wing and was like my counselor throughout the rest of the year.”

-teen female

Within both formal and informal support are a set of processes, called support functions, which teens find helpful. Usually these functions are associated with what individual people say or do. These processes can be instrumental or practical, or more emotional or psychological. Youth told us about a wide variety of support processes they used. Support processes that youth say are helpful include listening, understanding, and providing assurance. They also mentioned that sometimes being “distracted” with other activities was helpful because it provided them a break from thinking about deployment. Interestingly, teens were also quick to point out displeasure with those who provided “fake” support or whose support faltered over time.

“ At first when my dad got deployed, there was a lot of support as in like people calling, people giving us, you know, food and stuff. But then as time went on, it just kind of died down and nobody really cared that we was deployed.”

-teen male

“ I don’t want to talk about it 24/7. I want to go out, have fun, get together, eat, you know? I don’t want to just talk about it, you know, deployment and stuff because there’s other things happening in our lives, you know.”

-teen female

12 December 2008 • Volume 15, Supplement The Prevention Researcher www.TPRonline.org

Supporting Youth During Parental Deployment: Strategies for Professionals and Families, continued

IMPLICATIONS FOR PROGRAM PROFESSIONALSSupport for Youth Findings from the study point to several ways youth development professionals can be supportive to youth in military families. Support for youth fall into one of three categories: (1) increasing knowledge/awareness of deployment-related issues; (2) increasing knowledge of and vigilance around depression and stress symptoms in youth; and (3) increasing opportunities for connection and support of these youth.

Increasing knowledge and awareness about deployment related issues Youth-serving professionals and other support personnel can support youth during parental deployment by:

• understanding the unique situation of teens with deployed parents. Because a broad array of formal support organizations come in contact with teens in military families, all could benefit from receiving information about families and deployment.

• developing public awareness campaigns to educate local communities about issues facing military families.

• learning about the significance of the deployment cycle and how teens’ reactions vary depending on the specific stage, as well as on their own age.

Increasing knowledge of and vigilance around depression and stress symptoms in youth This can be accomplished by:

• recognizing signs and symptoms of depression and other mental health issues in teens. Very often it is assumed that the natural resilience of youth will carry them through difficult times, yet our data show otherwise.

• recognizing that a range of emotions are experienced by teens when a parent is deployed and tailoring intervention efforts to deal with these complexities, rather than assume a narrow range of emotional responses by teens.

Increasing opportunities for connection and support Increasing support and connection can be accomplished by:

• making a special effort to connect with teens that have a deployed parent. Many youth will be reluctant to express their concerns about a deployed parent, but will respond to others who show concern for them.

• helping teens to develop social networks with other teens who have deployed parents. These could occur in school, community, or religious organizational settings.

• supporting the informal networks of teens by intentionally developing networking skills among teens that include how to communicate feelings, and how to develop bonds with other military teens. This may include developing social support or mentoring programs led by young adults who have themselves experienced the deployment of a parent.

• providing ongoing, accessible social activities for teens so that they have distraction opportunities. Youth can only focus on worries connected with the welfare of a deployed parent for so long without experiencing extreme fatigue. This type of support may involve partnering with other youth serving organizations to increase the number of available program options. Try to recruit teens to participate in programs that include recreation as well as life skills development.

• ensuring appropriate support systems for the at-home parent. The at-home parent is the linchpin in the well-being of the adolescent.

Support for Parents Our research findings also point to implications about how to support those parents experiencing spousal deployment in supporting their own children. Program professionals can help support parents by providing educational information in three areas: (1) recognizing reactions to deployment related stress; (2) becoming intentional about providing consistency in family routines and rituals; and (3) providing and accessing informal support systems.

Recognizing reactions to deployment related stress Content areas should include:

• the importance of parents taking a developmentally appropriate and intentional approach to discussing deployment and subsequent family changes with teens. We discovered many adults were over-informing younger youth, and adding unnecessary strains in their lives. Parents need to learn how to make developmentally appropriate disclosures about family issues and war information.

• the awareness that teens often do not have adequate ways to discuss their worries about parental deployment, and that some teens are not speaking with anyone about their concerns.

• the importance of recognizing that teens’ behaviors and emotions may vary with different stages of the deployment cycle and with different developmental levels, each requiring attention from parents. Deployment-related adjustment is ongoing, and it is a mistake to assume youth fears are resolved in the short-term.

• signs and symptoms of depression and other mental health issues for teens. Parents must be better equipped to monitor how well their children are dealing with ongoing deployment- related worries and changes. They should also be aware of the range of emotions teens may experience and ways to teach them to express these emotions in a healthy manner.

• how parents can model appropriate self-care and stress reduction, so that teens do not feel responsible for parental emotional well-being. Certain parents forget that their own condition has dramatic effects on the well-being of their children.

Becoming intentional about providing consistency in family routines and rituals Educational information for parents about family routines and rituals should include:

• the importance of maintaining consistent expectations about school, work, and family responsibilities. Young people need consistency and predictability in environments. This is one area in which they may feel like they have some control over their lives. Information for parents should also highlight the importance of doing pleasurable things together as a family, as a way of building family rapport and supporting family adjustment to deployment.

• the importance of maintaining family rituals and creating new ones to support family identity and continuity. Families need intentional ways of connecting with each other, and of

Teens often do not have adequate ways to discuss their worries about parental deployment, and…some teens are not speaking with anyone about their concerns.