Abstract
Taking our nation to war has exposed a generation of military families and children to combat and its consequences. Every dollar spent on bullets, trucks, fuel, and food carried a future ‘tax’ in the form of consequences for psychological and physical health and family relationships. In this commentary, I focus on several themes that emerge from the special collection or articles. For example, I consider how best to define the ecological niche(s) occupied by military-connected children and families. Not surprisingly given significant gaps in our knowledge, evidence regarding the well-being of military-connected children is mixed. I also consider the multi-layered environments within which individuals and families function, recognizing both the challenges and opportunities they provide. The need to respond rapidly to the evolving needs of military families has highlighted the value of both prevention science and implementation science. Public health models emphasizing a full continuum of care that emphasizes not only treatment but also universal, selective, and indicated prevention also are appealing given the uneven density, uncertain locations, and unknown identities of military families in civilian communities (Beardslee 2013; Murphy and Fairbank 2013). Finally, it is important to recognize that we are at the beginning, not the end, of the post-war lifetimes for the new generation of veterans and their families.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Astor, R. A., De Pedro, K. T., Gilreath, T. D., Esqueda, M. C., & Benbenishty, R. (2013). The promotional role of school and community contexts for military students. Clinical Child and Family Psychology Review, 16(3), 233–244.
Beardslee, W. R. (2013). Military and veteran family-centered preventive interventions and care: Making meaning of experiences over time. Clinical Child and Family Psychology Review, 16(3), 341–343.
Bowling, U. B., & Sherman, M. D. (2008). Welcoming them home: Supporting service members and their families in navigating the tasks of reintegration. Professional Psychology: Research and Practice, 39(4), 451–458.
Brooks-Gunn, J., Phelps, E., & Elder, G. H. (1991). Studying lives through time: Secondary data analyses in developmental psychology. Developmental Psychology, 27, 899–910. doi:10.1037/0012-1649.27.6.899.
Chandra, A., Lara-Cinisomo, S., Jaycox, L. H., Tanielian, T., Burns, R. M., Ruder, T., et al. (2010). Children on the homefront: The experience of children from military families. Pediatrics, 125, 16–25.
Cozza, S. J., Chun, R. S., & Polo, J. A. (2005). Military families and children during Operation Iraqi Freedom. Psychiatric Quarterly, 76(4), 371–378.
Cozza, S. J., Holmes, A., & Van Ost, S. (2013). Family-centered care for military and veteran families affected by combat injury. Clinical Child and Family Psychology Review, 16(3), 311–321.
DoD Task Force on Mental Health. Arthur, D.C., MacDermid, S. M., Kiley, K., and members of the Department of defense task force on mental health. (2007). An achievable vision: Report of the Department of Defense Task Force on Mental Health. Falls Church, VA: Defense Health Board. Downloaded January 1, 2008 from http://www.health.mil/dhb/mhtf/mhtf-report-final.pdf.
DrugFacts: Substance abuse in the military. (2013). Downloaded August 18, 2013 from http://www.drugabuse.gov/publications/drugfacts/substance-abuse-in-military.
Glynn, S. (2013). Family-centered care to promote successful community reintegration after war: It takes a nation. Clinical Child and Family Psychology Review, in press.
Hosek, J., & MacDermid Wadsworth, S. (2013). Economic conditions of military families. Future of Children, in press.
Institute of Medicine. (2013). Returning home from Iraq and Afghanistan: Assessment of readjustment needs of veterans, service members, and their families. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. Retrieved from http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=.
Kaplow, J. B., Layne, C. M., Saltzman, W. R., Cozza, S. J., & Pynoos, R. S. (2013). Using multidimensional grief theory to explore the effects of deployment, reintegration, and death on military youth and families. Clinical Child and Family Psychology Review, 16(3), 322–340. doi:10.1007/s10567-013-0143-1.
Lieberman, A. F., & Van Horn, P. (2013). Infants and young children in military families: A conceptual model for intervention. Clinical Child and Family Psychology Review, 16(3), 282–293. doi:10.1007/s10567-013-0140-4.
Link, P. E., & Palinkas, L. A. (2013). Long-term trajectories and service needs for military families. Clinical Child and Family Psychology Review,16. DOI 10.1007/s10567-013-0145-z.
MacDermid Wadsworth, S. M. (2010). Family risk and resilience in the context of war and terrorism. Journal of Marriage and Family, 72, 537–556. doi:10.1111/j.1741-3737.2010.00717.x.
MacDermid Wadsworth, S. M., & Southwell, K. (2011). Military families: Extreme work and extreme ‘work-family’. Annals of the American Academy of Political and Social Science, 638, 163–183.
Mansfield, A. J., Kaufman, J. S., Engel, C. C., & Gaynes, B. N. (2011). Deployment and mental health diagnoses among children of US Army personnel. Archives of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine, 165, 999–1005.
Masten, A. S. (2013). Competence, risk, and resilience in military families: Conceptual commentary. Clinical Child and Family Psychology Review, 16(3), 278–281.
Milburn, N. G., & Lightfoot, M. (2013). Adolescents in wartime US military families: A developmental perspective on challenges and resources. Clinical Child and Family Psychology Review, 16(3), 266–277.
Murphy, R.A., Fairbank, J.A. (2013). Implementation and dissemination of military informed and evidence-based interventions for community dwelling military families. Clinical Child and Family Psychology Review, 16. DOI 10.1007/s10567-013-0149-8.
Nash, W. P., & Litz, B. T. (2013). Moral injury: A mechanism for war-related psychological trauma in military family members. Clinical child and family psychology review, 16. DOI 10.1007/s10567-013-0146-y.
Paley, B., Lester, P., & Mogil, C. (2013). Family systems and ecological perspectives on the impact of deployment on military families. Clinical Child and Family Psychology Review, 16(3), 245–265. doi:10.1007/s10567-013-0138-y.
Saltzman, W. R., Pynoos, R. S., Lester, P., Layne, C. M., & Beardslee, W. R. (2013). Enhancing family resilience through family narrative co-construction. Clinical Child and Family Psychology Review, 16(3), 294–310.
Schumm J. A. & Chard, K. M. (2012) Alcohol and stress in the military. Alcohol Research: Current Reviews, 34, 401–407. Downloaded August 18, 2013 from http://pubs.niaaa.nih.gov/publications/arcr344/401-407.htm.
Acknowledgments
I am very appreciative to Patricia Lester and Blair Paley for helpful suggestions during the preparation of this commentary.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Wadsworth, S.M. Understanding and Supporting the Resilience of a New Generation of Combat-Exposed Military Families and Their Children. Clin Child Fam Psychol Rev 16, 415–420 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10567-013-0155-x
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10567-013-0155-x