The effects of deployment on a child's academic and behavioral functioning
Item
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Title
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The effects of deployment on a child's academic and behavioral functioning
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Identifier
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d_2009_2013:4d537484aba9:10763
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identifier
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11002
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Creator
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Loo, Alice Tseng,
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Contributor
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Mary Kopala
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Date
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2011
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Language
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English
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Publisher
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City University of New York.
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Subject
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Educational psychology | Military studies | Behavioral psychology | Child's academics | Child's Behaviors | coping | Deployment | family systems | military
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Abstract
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Potential disruption of family life due to a military deployment is a significant concern of U.S. armed forces, as well as to service members. In addition to the effects of parental absence, periods immediately surrounding the military family member's deployment and return may have deleterious effects on children. This study proposed a 7-phase definition of the cycle of deployment, and suggested that strain on the family due to the cycle could be grouped into four levels. A sample of 201 families with fathers in the Navy and children ages 5 to 12 supplied information on deployment, family functioning (FACES IV), family stress levels (Perceived Stress Scale), family coping skills (F-COPES), and child behaviors (Devereux scales). Current and prior reading and math grades and teachers' ratings of the child were also obtained. Greater deployment strain and poorer family functioning were associated with poorer child behavioral and academic performance and greater family stress. Predictors interacted such that child problems occurred primarily when deployment strain was combined with poor family functioning or coping skills. The negative effects were substantial in real-world terms; up to 1/3 SD on the Devereux-Parent or a difference in reading grades of B+ to B-. It was demonstrated that the deleterious effects of deployment were mainly due to increased family stress, and not simply parental absence. Reading grades were much more sensitive to stressors than math grades. Age and gender of the child had minimal effects. Results suggested that deployment strain can have serious adverse consequences for children, but that healthy family functioning and/or coping skills largely mitigate these effects.
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Type
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dissertation
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Source
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2009_2013.csv
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degree
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Ph.D.
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Program
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Educational Psychology
