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Perceptions of the impact a military career has on children

S L Rowe1, M Keeling2, S Wessely3

  • 1Health Service and Population Research, King's College London, David Goldberg Centre, De Crespigny Park, London SE5 8AF, UK, *Joint first authors. sarah.rowe@kcl.ac.uk.

Occupational Medicine (Oxford, England)
|September 22, 2014
PubMed

Insights

Over half of UK service personnel perceive their military career negatively impacts their children. Factors like long deployments and mental health symptoms correlate with negative perceptions of military career effects on children.

Area of Science:

  • Military Psychology
  • Child Development
  • Socio-demographic Factors

Background:

  • The impact of military careers on service personnel's children is understudied.
  • Previous research has largely overlooked the perceived effects on children.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate UK service personnel's views on how their military careers affect their children.
  • To analyze these views in relation to socio-demographic variables, military characteristics, and mental health.

Main Methods:

  • A large UK military cohort study (2007-2009) included regular and reserve service personnel with children under 18.
  • Participants reported perceived positive, negative, or no impact of their military career on their children.

Main Results:

  • 51% of service personnel viewed their military career as negatively impacting their children.
  • Negative impact perception was linked to relationship status, extended deployments (≥13 months), common mental health disorders, and probable PTSD.
  • Reserves and other ranks were less likely than regulars and non-commissioned officers, respectively, to report negative effects.

Conclusions:

  • Regular service personnel reported negative impacts more frequently than previously found, highlighting the importance of the broader military context beyond deployment.
  • Findings align with existing research on the negative effects of deployment length on children.
  • The study underscores the complex relationship between military service, parental mental health, and perceived child well-being.
Abstract

Keywords:
Careerchildrenimpactmilitaryservice personnel.

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