From.
Julie Eversole
Sunny, Florida.
February 24, 2022
To.
Elizabeth Singleton, Ph. D. Psychology, M.A.S.
Psychology Department
Liberty University
Lynchburg, Virginia.
Dear Dr. Singleton
Subject: Recent findings on how military stressors effect military families.
I am writing to you in light of the recent research findings on the unique
challenges military families face and how their relationships are affected.
In both articles the quality of the relationships between the soldier and
their child, the spouse and their child, and between the soldier and their
spouse had a considerable influence on how all family members dealt with
the particular stresses that stem from the military life. The condition of
these relationships also had a direct correlation with how military families
individually coped with the military stressors.
In the first article from1Military Psychology (Mallonne, Riggs, & and
Stander, 2020)1a probability sample of 1,558 military members and their
spouses were surveyed about how particular worries and initiatives
influenced the family members attitude toward homecoming tensions. The
sample was comprised mainly of couples (86.2%) who were married for
about one year and had at least one offspring (59.3%).1 Most of the
spouses (93.9%) were female, Caucasian (76.2%) non-Hispanic with
almost ninety percent of spouses having not ever been in the military. A
majority of the service members were enlisted (89.5%) active duty
(87.1%) but differed in only fifty-six percent were in the Army and the rest
of the participants were in other branches of service (Mallonne, Riggs, &
and Stander, 2020). The dependent variable of homecoming stress and
the independent variables of: individual improvement, the current PTSD of
soldiers examined, both spouses aspects of their well- being parentheses
physical and mental parentheses using VR-36, as well as alterations in
both mental and physical well-being, each spouses’ control on different
life aspects, how spouses viewed their correspondence with their spouses,
the community backing, and spouses economic hardship (Mallonne, Riggs,
& and Stander, 2020).1 The data was assessed utilizing univariate testing
and Q-Q plots, designs of conclusions and contrast to the proposed
outcomes, and of remains in contrast to row numbers as well as
correlation matrices analyzed1(Mallonne, Riggs, & and Stander, 2020) .
They also used bivariate regression analysis approximating part of the
correlations and various regressions. The results of the study prove the
mental well- being of both the military member and spouse were
correlated to their stress over homecoming time so much that it caused a
diminished mental well- being. Spouses felt more tension about the
homecoming due to their apprehensiveness over their deployment
correspondence. The soldiers’ and spouses’ self-control were not as
diagnostically as vital as previously proposed. The assumption about
spouse development was less related to homecoming stress and more
linked to deployment correspondence and how it would affect the
homecoming between soldiers and their spouses (Mallonne, Riggs, & and
Stander, 2020).
The current findings are in accord with prior studies and that stress
related improvement is linked to constructive results. While these latest
findings conflict with what researchers previously thought about how the
adjustments influenced each spouse and their capacity to progress from
being separated to being reunited (Mallonne, Riggs, & and Stander, 2020).
During the deployments couples had issues with correspondence thus
leading to stress when time for homecoming, but with briefings before
deployments and counseling for the soldiers and their spouses (Mallonne,
Riggs, & and Stander, 2020)the military feels they can ease the strain on
families and facilitate better communication with service members and
their spouses.
In the second article by Farnsworth and O’Neal, they asked the question
of what potential components caused the effects on the adaptability of the
military child. The sample size of 265 military families with one service
member parent and one civilian parent were taken at one army post using
printed flyers and signage at the youth center on one post along with
radio announcements about partaking in a computer survey (Farnsworth
& O'Neal, 2021). The variables analyzed were; parents rank, combat
deployments, separation times, post relocations, living off post, and the
conditions of relationships the child had with each parent, symptoms of
anxiety and depression, self -efficacy, and personal welfare, the child age
and gender parentheses female parentheses, and the framework of the
family (Farnsworth & O'Neal, 2021). All of these variables were tested
utilizing descriptive statistics and bivariate correlations. A majority of
service members were enlisted (87.9%) parentheses and many had
deployed from one to three times, and 86% of the service members were
male (Farnsworth & O'Neal, 2021).
A majority of the military worries were not as notable a factor in relation
to the condition of the parent child relationship. However, the amount of
combat deployments was affiliated with the condition of their relationship
with both civilian and military parents for girls, but not the boys. The other
exemption was the rank appearance which had a positive effect on
personal welfare and self-efficacy. The higher rank is considered a better
socioeconomic position. They called that deployment had a negative
impact on self-efficacy.
The results of this study were contradictory to the hypothesis that they
had previously stated in their research in their case study and along with
other empirical research found that military stresses were not as
straightforwardly effective on the children's ability to adapt as they had
anticipated (Easterbrook's et al., 2013). In closing this research was
conducted using a societal environment as well as principles that assert
how significant the bonding of parents with their children (Farnsworth &
O'Neal, 2021). The adversity of the military was in large part independent
from the juvenile's perception of their relationships with their parents or
how they adapted to life, but instead it affirmed how the structure of
military families consist of a resilient unit. The relationship the children
had with both their military parent and their civilian parent was significant
in how well the children could adapt (Farnsworth & O'Neal, 2021). Both of
these studies prove that the quality of the relationships between service
members and their families is crucial to how well each member does or
does not cope with the unique military lifestyle and all it entails during not
only deployments, but day to day living.1 I look forward to your thoughts
on further research.
V/R,
Julie Eversole, M.A.S.
1
1References
1Farnsworth, M. L., & O'Neal, C. W. (2021). Military Stressors,
Parent-Adolescent Relationship Quality, and Adolescent
Adjustment.*Journal of Child and Family Studies, 30:2718–2731.
https://doi.org/10.1007/s10826-021-02106-y
Mallonne, S., Riggs, D., & and Stander, V. (2020). The impact of
family stressors and resources on military spouse’s perception of
post-deployment reunion stress.*Military Psychology, Vol. 32,
No.6, 369-379.*The impact of family stressors and resources on
military spouse’s perception of post-deployment reunion stress:
Military Psychology: Vol 32, No 6 (tandfonline.com)
