The context of military service has changed greatly since the events of 9/11. The forward deployment of service members to active war zones, which involves the issues of separation, time away from home, and eventual reunion, increases the vulnerability of their families to multiple, negative short-term and long-term effects. This article explores…

Parental deployment has substantial effects on the family system, among them ambiguity and uncertainty. Youth in military families are especially affected by parental deployment because their coping repertoire is only just developing; the requirements of deployment become additive to normal adolescent developmental demands. Focus groups were used…

Provides a summary of the limited research on three uniquely stressful experiences of military families: relocation, separation, and reunion. Using the insights derived from this literature, identifies and discusses interventions to assist and guide military families through these unique events. (Contains 64 references.) (GCP)

Examines the work, personal, and family demands and adjustments of Air Force single parents (N=157). Also examined are the level of single-parent interest in and use of support services to meet their personal and family responsibilities and needs. Overall, single parents in the Air Force are found to make successful adjustments to the exigencies…

Notes that since 1980 Navy Family Services Centers have provided deployment programs to Naval personnel and families to prepare for separation and reunion. Highlights Return and Reunion program given aboard U.S. Navy ships returning from deployments and designed to increase resources to respond effectively to normative and stressful event of…

The current study sought to discover whether workplace support provided by Army Family Team Building (AFTB) of the Department of the Army was associated with changes in individual knowledge of basic Army lifestyle information, and whether such changes influenced a sense of fit and satisfaction with the Army. Data were collected from 69 Army wives.…

We present the findings from a qualitative study examining the marital perceptions of 9 wives of veterans with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Data were from a semistructured in-depth focus group interview. Findings reveal how the lives of these women largely revolved around their husbands' illness. The wives faced constant tension between…

This study examined 1,064 Army families reunited after a member's deployment for Operation Desert Shield and Operation Desert Storm. Postdeployment outcomes were conceptualized in terms of the "fit" between the family and the demands of Army life, especially the stress of deployment. A structural model was used to test the hypothesized effects of…

Reviews current findings from studies on resilient families, emphasizing three emerging issues. Importance of social class and ethnicity is accentuated in review of studies on military families. Deterrents to and need for more research on resilient families are discussed in relationship to value of prevention-oriented family programs. (Author/NB)

Drawing upon survey data from a probability sample of 331 U.S. Air Force married couples and 101 Air Force single parents, determined the attitudes of Air Force families toward family enrichment and support programs. States implications for family programing. (Author)

Examined relative contribution of work stressors, family and community resources, and Army support resources to family adaptation of 238 single parents serving on active duty in U.S. Army. Results indicated that adaptation of single-parent families to Army demands were influenced more strongly by availability of family, community, and Army…