For
the first post, each group will learn some information about each person’s
family of origin. This should aid each group in beginning to imagine their
respective adoptee. While some of the information may at first appear to be
unrelated to our subject of study, life-span issues for individuals with
disabilities, fear not. It will all make sense as we move through the semester.
Ian Mahoney – Week One
It was always a risky proposition. Bringing a child into the
world under these circumstances, that is. Leila knew that Phil could get called
up at any time, but she still thought they could be a family. Even if he was
half a world away. Little Tyler was almost 3, and they had managed for this
long without Phil having to go. But there were rumblings about a new policy
that would put guardsmen into active combat. Leila tried to ignore the
rumblings as the couple prepared to welcome their second child – Ian – into the
world. Then, just a month before Ian was due, Phil got the call. He was to
report in 3 weeks to be deployed for an undetermined amount of time.
What resources are available to assist
individuals like Phil and Leila?
What percentage of individuals in the armed forces have children?
Having a spouse in the armed forces makes life hard enough but adding a child into the equation increases the difficulty by tenfold. The long-term removal of a parent not only greatly impacts the entire family but can significantly alter the child’s growth and development in a negative way. According to the 2009 Demographics Profile of the Military Community prepared by the United States Department of Veteran 43% of active duty service members have children. This equals roughly 588,743 military individuals who have one or more children to support. In Phil and Leila’s case, they have two young children to support both financially and emotionally.
ReplyDeleteThe World Health Organization’s website states that a child’s environment during the first year significantly impacts the neurological and biological growth of the child. According to a 2009 study by the RAND Corporation commissioned by the National Military Family Association, the absence of one parent during this important time drastically alters a child’s environment and effects on the children of all service branches consistently. This absence in the home compromises dual parent child bonding activities such as reading a nighttime story and playing outside. During the critical period from about 6 months to three years old, infants require a highly stimulating but also calm environment to develop normally. Without these high levels of stimulation, the risks of cognitive and behavioral delays are more likely, leading to an inability to cope with stressful situations and environments in adulthood. If the early childhood environment is stressful, as would be typical in a one parent military household, the chance of stress-related disease and learning disabilities are also highly increased. All of these sources agree that the absence of one parent is incredibly detrimental to a child’s growth and development. Another risk factor could be that the parents be unable to deal with the strains of the long-distance marriage and will resort to divorce. The aforementioned Demographics Profile of the Military Community also presented the statistics of marital status for an active duty member. 55.8% are reported as married in 2009 while 39.9% reported that they were never married. The divorce of the child’s parents would only add to the stress in the home, further stunting the development of the children.
ReplyDeleteLuckily, there are several resources available to assist families such as Phil and Leila’s. The Strategic Outreach to Families of All Reservists (SOFAR) publishes a guide for families to help throughout the deployment process including coping strategies for the children of deployed soldiers. One of the main points they stress is to make the child feel as connected as possible to the deployed parent; whether this is through placing photographs of Phil throughout the home, or by having Tyler and Ian draw pictures to send to their Dad. The SOFAR guide also says to minimize the images of war and violence as much as possible in the home. By keeping these scary images out of the home, the levels of stress are greatly decreased. The Center for Mental Health Promotion and Youth Violence Prevention also wrote an article specifically on the topic. They detailed tips for pre, during and post-deployment for the entire family. Although utilizing these strategies won’t completely alleviate the stresses associated with having a parent deployed in the military, they could significantly reduce these strains and help families like Phil and Leila’s get through the tough time.
ReplyDeleteLevin, D. (2005). Strategic Outreach to Families of All Reservists. The “So Far” Guide for Helping Children and Youth Cope with the Deployment of a Parent in the Military Reserves. Retrieved from http://www.sofarusa.org/downloads/sofar_children_pamphlet.pdf
ReplyDeleteThe National Center for Mental Health Promotion and Youth Violence Prevention. (2010). Military Families: Impact on Children's and Families' Mental Health. Retrieved from http://www.promoteprevent.org/publications/prevention-briefs/military-families-impact-childrens-and-families-mental-health
The National Military Family Association. (2009).Children + Deployment. Retrieved from http://www.militaryfamily.org/get-info/support-children/children-deployment/
The United States Government, Department of Defense. (2009). Demographics of the Military Community. Washington, DC: Office of the Deputy Under Secretary of Defense. Retrieved from http://cs.mhf.dod.mil/content/dav/mhf/QOL-Library/PDF/MHF/QOL%20Resources/Reports/2009_Demographics_Report.pdf
The World Health Organization. (2009, August). Early Child Development. Retrieved from http://www.who.int/mediacentre/factsheets/fs332/en/index.html