Army dependents: childhood illness and health provision

This small qualitative study explored attitudes of a group of Army wives to childhood illness and their expectations of health provision. The author's practice serves a population mainly comprising of Army dependents where GP attendance rates are double the national average. Two focus groups were organised using health visitor groups attached to the practice. Transcripts were examined to produce a framework for semi-structured interviews with nine mothers, who were selected by purposive sampling. Mothers were asked about symptoms, coping, social problems, decisions to take action, health provision and support. Data were analysed and sorted, using the principles of grounded theory, into four main themes: attitude to child's illness, coping, Army culture and accessibility to health services. Many Army wives appear to suffer from high levels of stress. It seemed that the coping ability of the mother was affected by the constant turbulence and isolation of Army life. While mothers displayed a knowledge of common illnesses, they had fears of the unknown and of life threatening illnesses. They sometimes managed childhood illness at home owing to lack of transport. The author concluded that some Army wives suffer from stress and lack confidence in their mothering skills when their children are ill, which may be due, in part, to the constant cycle of postings and isolation from family and services. They need easily accessible health facilities and information regarding these services. Communication should be encouraged between civilian services and the Army. It appears that Army dependents require more support from their GP practice than the average civilian family, offering opportunity for nurses and health visitors to provide alternative and proactive services.