Children’s Social, Emotional, and Behavioral Outcomes in Military Families: A Rapid Review

• Published in: Journal of child and family studies Vol. 33; no. 6; pp. 1949 - 1967
• Main Authors: Opie, Jessica E., Hameed, Mohajer, Vuong, An, Painter, Felicity, Booth, Anna T., Jiang, Heng, Dowling, Rowan, Boh, Jessica, McLean, Natalie, McIntosh, Jennifer E.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: New York Springer US 01-06-2024; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: Behavioral Science and Psychology; Child and School Psychology; Childhood; Civilians; Deployment; Developmental Stages; Early intervention; Educational Objectives; Electronic publishing; Families & family life; Family (Sociological Unit); Health behavior; Health status; Internalization; Mental health; Meta Analysis; Military service; Outcomes of Education; Parents; Parents & parenting; Peers; Psychology; Psychosocial factors; Review; Social Sciences; Sociology; Suicidal behavior; Suicidal ideation; Suicide; Support services; Systematic review; Vulnerability; Military families; Rapid review; War; Child mental health; Military connected children; Child social health
• ISSN: 1062-1024; 1573-2843
• DOI: 10.1007/s10826-024-02856-5

In light of ongoing global military conflicts, including the Israel-Hamas war and the Russia-Ukraine war, it is imperative to study the effects of parental military service and deployment on the health and well-being of children within military families. Emerging evidence suggests that children with a parent in service appear to face unique developmental challenges associated with the military lifestyle, which differ from those experienced by civilian children. However, there is currently limited systematic research that compares the developmental outcomes of children with serving parents to their civilian peers. Therefore, the aim of this review is to synthesize existing literature on the behavioral, social, emotional, and educational functioning of children with currently serving parents in defense forces, in comparison to their civilian counterparts. This rapid systematic review was conducted in accordance with the Joanna Briggs Institute methodology framework, the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses, and Cochrane Rapid Review methodological recommendations The following databases were searched: Medline, PsycINFO, CINAHL, and Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials. Relevant online databases were searched from February 2012 to 2022 to examine the contemporary literature. Fourteen identified published quantitative studies were identified. No qualitative studies were found, and no study reported on academic outcomes. Despite considerable sample heterogeneity across studies, military children of all ages appear to be a particularly vulnerable population. Findings suggest that children in military families experience substantially higher risk for negative psychological, social, and behavioral health outcomes than their civilian counterparts, with parental deployment increasing risk across all developmental stages (i.e., early, middle, and late childhood). Among these age groups, adolescents of currently serving members showed highest risk, particularly concerning suicidal ideation and suicidal behaviors. Implications are discussed in terms of early detection, preventative interventions, and support services for families and children with a serving parent. PROSPERO registration: CRD42022313999.
Highlights
Children in families with a serving parent are more likely to experience behavioral and psychosocial concerns than children in civilian families. These adverse outcomes persist across early, middle, and late childhood.
Children of deployed military parents of all ages experienced higher rates of internalizing and externalizing presentations relative to their civilian and non-deployed military peers.
Adolescent offspring of currently serving military members showed highest psychosocial risk compared to children in early and middle childhood, including suicidal ideation and suicidal behaviors.
There is a lack of evidence comparing the educational outcomes of military and civilian children at all childhood developmental epochs.