Query: well being in military

title: Adolescent well being in Washington state military families.
abstract: We examined associations between parental military service and adolescent well being.  We used cross sectional data from the 2008 Washington State Healthy Youth Survey collected in public school grades 8, 10, and 12 (n 10,606) We conducted multivariable logistic regression analyses to test associations between parental military service and adolescent well being (quality of life, depressed mood, thoughts of suicide) RESULTS In 8th grade, parental deployment was associated with higher odds of reporting thoughts of suicide among adolescent girls (odds ratio [OR] 1.66; 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.19, 2.32) and higher odds of low quality of life (OR 2.10; 95% CI 1.43, 3.10) and thoughts of suicide (OR 1.75; 95% CI 1.15, 2.67) among adolescent boys. In 10th and 12th grades, parental deployment was associated with higher odds of reporting low quality of life (OR 2.74; 95% CI 1.79, 4.20) depressed mood (OR 1.50; 95% CI 1.02, 2.20) and thoughts of suicide (OR 1.64; 95% CI 1.13, 2.38) among adolescent boys.  Parental military deployment is associated with increased odds of impaired well being among adolescents, especially adolescent boys. Military, school based, and public health professionals have a unique opportunity to develop school and community based interventions to improve the well being of adolescents in military families.

title: Prevalence of, Risk Factors for, and Consequences of Posttraumatic Stress Disorder and Other Mental Health Problems in Military Populations Deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan
abstract: This review summarizes the epidemiology of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and related mental health problems among persons who served in the armed forces during the Iraq and Afghanistan conflicts, as reflected in the literature published between 2009 and 2014. One hundred and sixteen research studies are reviewed, most of which are among non treatment seeking US service members or treatment seeking US veterans. Evidence is provided for demographic, military, and deployment related risk factors for PTSD, though most derive from cross sectional studies and few control for combat exposure, which is a primary risk factor for mental health problems in this cohort. Evidence is also provided linking PTSD with outcomes in the following domains: physical health, suicide, housing and homelessness, employment and economic well being, social well being, and aggression, violence, and criminality. Also included is evidence about the prevalence of mental health service use in this cohort. In many instances, the current suite of studies replicates findings observed in civilian samples, but new findings emerge of relevance to both military and civilian populations, such as the link between PTSD and suicide. Future research should make effort to control for combat exposure and use longitudinal study designs; promising areas for investigation are in non treatment seeking samples of US veterans and the role of social support in preventing or mitigating mental health problems in this group.

title: The Impact of Military Lifestyle Demands on Well Being, Army, and Family Outcomes
abstract: Adopting M. Segal's framework, we focused on examining four military lifestyle demands (1) risk of service member injury or death, (2) frequent relocations, (3) periodic separations, and (4) foreign residence and their relationships to psychological and physical well being, satisfaction with the Army, and marital satisfaction. Questionnaire results from 346 spouses living overseas indicated that the impact of separations was negatively related to all four outcomes, while foreign residence was negatively related to physical and psychological well being, fear for soldier safety was negatively related to physical well being, and the impact of moving was negatively related to satisfaction with the Army. The results further indicated that perceptions of moving and separations were more important in determining outcomes than were the actual number of moves or separations.

title: Stress, Coping, and Well Being in Military Spouses During Deployment Separation
abstract: This study examined the relationships between stress, coping, general well being, and sociodemographic characteristics using Lazarus and Folkman's theory of stress and coping. A descriptive correlational design was used. The sample consisted of 105 female spouses of currently deployed active duty military members. Instruments included the Perceived Stress Scale, the Jalowiec Coping Scale, and the RAND 36. Perceived stress was the best predictor of both mental and physical well being, accounting for 51.7% and 25.4% of the variance, respectively. Evasive and optimistic coping contributed an additional 1.9 and 4.3% respectively, to the variance in mental well being. Differences in coping use were found among rank groups, those who grew up in a military family, and those with a previous deployment separation. Nurses are in an ideal position to identify military spouses at risk and provide education on effective coping behaviors shown to positively affect well being during deployment separation.

title: Well being and suicidal ideation of secondary school students from military families.
abstract: The mental health of children is a primary public health concern; adolescents of military personnel may be at increased risk of experiencing poorer well being overall and depressive symptoms specifically. These adolescents experience individual and intrafamilial stressors of parental deployment and reintegration, which are directly and indirectly associated with internalizing behaviors.  The present study sought to better understand the influence of parental military connectedness and parental deployment on adolescent mental health.  Data from the 2011 California Healthy Kids Survey examined feeling sad or hopeless, suicidal ideation, well being, and depressive symptoms by military connectedness in a subsample (n 14,299) of seventh ninth and 11th grade California adolescents. Cross classification tables and multiple logistic regression analyses were used.  More than 13% of the sample had a parent or sibling in the military. Those with military connections were more likely to report depressive symptoms and suicidal ideation. Controlling for grade, gender, and race/ethnicity, reporting any familial deployment compared with no deployments was associated with increasing odds of experiencing sadness or hopelessness, depressive symptoms, and suicidal ideation.  Findings emphasize the increased risk of mental health issues among youth with parents (and siblings) in the military. Although deployment related mental health stressors are less likely during peace, during times of war there is a need for increased screening in primary care and school settings. Systematic referral systems and collaboration with community based mental health centers will bolster screening and services.

title: Spouse Psychological Well Being: A Keystone to Military Family Health
abstract: Understanding predictors of military spouse psychosocial vulnerability informs efforts to assess, identify, and support at risk spouses and families. In this analysis, we test the effects of family stress and strain on military spouse psychological health, using a sample of female civilian spouses (n 161) Regression findings confirm expectations of the significant contribution of family stressors, strain, and resources in explaining variation in spouses' psychological health, controlling for deployment and socioeconomic factors. Identifying the effects of family stress on military spouse psychological health supports the need for family centered interventions and prevention programs.

title: The psychosocial well being of children from Australian military and fly in/fly out (FIFO) mining families
abstract: This study investigates the effects of employment related father absence on children's psychological well being and home based mothers' perceptions of family functioning. Ninety primary school aged children and their mothers residing in Perth in Western Australia participated in this study. The sample consisted of three groups: children whose fathers were employed in fly in/fly out (FIFO) mining (n =30) children whose fathers were in the military (n =30) and a community sample (n =30) of children, whose fathers' employment was not military or mining based and who did not have extended periods of absence from home. Children's psychosocial well being was measured by the Children's Depression Inventory (CDI) and Revised Children's Manifest Anxiety Scale (RCMAS) Children's and mothers' perceptions of family function were assessed with the Family Assessment Device (FAD) Results indicated that there were no significant differences between the groups on all measures of child well being, and all groups were functioning at healthy levels. However, mothers from the FIFO families reported significantly more stress than the military and community groups with respect to communication, support and behaviour control within the family. It was concluded that despite mothers' perceptions of disruption to family routine, the well being of children in this small sample was not affected.

title: Psychological Well Being and Job Satisfaction Amongst Military Personnel on Unaccompanied Tours: The Impact of Perceived Social Support and Coping Strategies
abstract: The aim of this research was to find out to what extent psychological well being and job satisfaction amongst British military personnel on unaccompanied tours in the Falkland Islands can be predicted by factors such as perceived social support and coping strategies. A questionnaire was distributed to a random sample of 20% of all military personnel serving in the Falkland Islands at a single point in time. The results showed that the majority of participants appeared to make the best of the situation by engaging in positive thinking and acceptance of the situation. This approach was associated with higher levels of job satisfaction but had no impact on responses to the General Health Questionnaire (Banks et al. 1980) Coping strategies that prevented participants from confronting the situation were associated with the least positive outcomes in terms of psychological well being. The results also show that perceptions of social support were associated with both psychological well being and job satisfaction.

title: Parental military service and adolescent well being: mental health, social connections and coping among youth in the USA
abstract: The association between parental military work factors and adolescent's well being was examined. Data were collected from 1036 military youth. Using a within group design, we examined adolescent's well being related to parental absence, school and neighbourhood transitions, paygrade/rank and participation in military sponsored activities, and differentiated outcomes by sex and age. Two parental work factors primarily influenced adolescent's well being, parental paygrade/rank and engagement in military sponsored activities. Parental paygrade/rank was the only factor uniformly related to poorer well being, and this variable likely represents a more complex set of family circumstances. Engaging in military sponsored activities served as a resource and was related to enhanced well being. Individual level differences and implications for social workers are discussed.

title: Finding Resilience: The Mediation Effect of Sense of Community on the Psychological Well Being of Military Spouses
abstract: The goal of this study was to identify positive factors that increase the psychological well being of military spouses in the areas of environmental mastery. We proposed that positive affect and social support from family and friends would have indirect effects on psychological well being through their association with a greater sense of community with the military culture. Participants were 207 female spouses of active duty service members. Data were analyzed using MEDIATE to test the mediational effect. Results indicated that social support from friends and positive affect did predict a sense of community, which in turn was associated with increased feelings of psychological well being. The findings suggest that a perceived sense of military community helps military spouses gain a sense of mastery and control in a constantly changing environment.