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Geographic relocation frequency, resilience, and military adolescent behavior
Eve Graham Weber1, David Kevin Weber
1Department of Psychiatry, Walter Reed Army Medical Center, 5600 Georgia Avenue, Washington, DC 20307, USA.
Military Medicine
|September 1, 2005
Summary
Frequent relocations in military adolescents surprisingly correlate with improved behavior and parental perceptions. Higher relocation frequency may foster resilience more than the total number of moves.
Area of Science:
- Psychology
- Sociology
- Military Family Studies
Background:
- Frequent relocations are often associated with negative behavioral outcomes.
- Military adolescents experience high mobility and numerous moves.
- Parental perceptions of child behavior are crucial in understanding adaptation.
Purpose of the Study:
- To assess parental perceptions of military adolescents' conduct and behavior.
- To examine the relationship between relocation experience and adolescent behavior.
- To identify factors influencing resilience in mobile military youth.
Main Methods:
- Survey distributed to parents of military adolescents.
- Data collected on child's relocation history, conduct, and behavior.
- Statistical analysis to determine correlations between relocation frequency and behavior.
Main Results:
- Average of 4.89 relocations per adolescent.
- Parental perceptions of relocations improved with increased frequency (p < 0.05).
- Adolescent behavior improved with more relocations, controlling for age (p < 0.05).
Conclusions:
- Relocation frequency, not just the number of moves, predicts improved parental perceptions and behavior.
- Higher relocation frequency may be a key factor in developing resilience.
- Findings challenge negative stereotypes associated with frequent moves in military families.