Effects of Combat Deployments on Children and Spouses

In the past seven years, the United States has deployed a phenomenal number of service members, impacting their children and spouses. Each of these families has available--and tailored to them--a plethora of resources, including mental health programs, formal and informal support groups, practical and logistical support programs, and libraries of materials to help families cope. Yet there is still a perception, within the military spouse community, as well as outside the installation gates, that the Department of Defense (DOD) is not meeting the needs of families. This paper discusses current research related to combat deployments' negative effects on military families, such as increased child abuse, higher divorce rates, and mental health issues. It also gives an overview of some Air Force and DOD programs designed to assist families with deployment issues, notes that families are not fully utilizing existing programs and makes recommendations regarding those programs and directions for future research. As it continues to contend with the effects of deployments on families, the Air Force must focus its efforts on understanding the nature of the disconnect between programs and the people for whom they are intended, to find ways to draw people in to existing programs.