Browsing by Subject "military"

Now showing 1 - 4 of 4
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    Associations between Depressive Symptoms and Relationship Satisfaction among Military Couples after Deployments
    (2018-06) Cheng, Cheuk
    Research traditionally has focused on associations between Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) symptoms and couple relationship satisfaction in military populations. Less research has been conducted on other mental health problems, particularly depression, given the high comorbidity between depression and PTSD. The purpose of the present study was to understand the associations between depressive symptoms and couple relationship satisfaction among post-deployed military couples, after controlling for combat exposure and life event stress. The actor-partner interdependence model (APIM) was used to measure inter and intra-spousal associations among 228 couples. Men had experienced at least one deployment to recent conflicts in the Middle East. The results show both actor effects and partner effects for negative associations between depressive symptoms and relationship satisfaction. Moreover, consistent with the Military Family Stress model, the results show that depressive symptoms are uniquely associated with relationship satisfaction. The results of the current study highlight the importance of focusing on depressive symptoms in both intervention and prevention programs for military families, especially for members of the National Guard and Reserves (NG/R).
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    Mindfulness and Parenting in Military Families
    (2014-08) Nerenberg, Laura
    With the growth of literature on mindfulness and more recently, mindful parenting, there is ample cause to suggest the importance of mindfulness in the context of parenting, along with an emerging body of evidence suggesting that mindfulness/mindful parenting may be related to parenting practices and children's functioning. However, a basic association between parent mindfulness and parenting practices has not yet been solidly established. The goal of this study was to examine the association between mindfulness and parenting practices, using a comprehensive measure of parents' mindfulness and observational measurement of parenting practices. Exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis techniques were employed to address ambiguities related to conceptualization and measurement of mindfulness apparent in the field of mindfulness research, and structural equation modeling (SEM) techniques were used to assess the associations between parent mindfulness, parent internalizing psychopathology, parenting practices, and children's behavior problems. Results of this study support the hypothesis that mindfulness in parents is multidimensional and relates to certain parent and family characteristics. However, results did not support the expected associations of mindfulness in parents with parenting practices or child functioning. Nevertheless, though the current study did not reveal clear links between parents' mindfulness and parenting practices, it may serve as a useful step in refining methods for studying mindfulness in parents for future research.
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    Mothers with a Dual Identity: Examining Treatment Outcomes and Risk Pathways for Deployed Mothers in the ADAPT and ADAPT4U Studies
    (2022-06) Cheng, Cheuk Hei
    There has been growing interest in understanding the post-deployment outcomes of deployed mothers, a growing subgroup within the military population. Despite growing research on military families in the last two decades, limited research has been conducted on mothers who deploy. Prior qualitative literature has suggested elevated risk encountered by deployed mothers, due to their dual identities of being a mother and a service member, but few quantitative studies have been conducted to support the qualitative findings. Also, no research has investigated the effectiveness of parenting interventions for deployed mothers. Study 1 employed a multiple regression approach to examine intervention outcomes (observed parenting and self-reported parental efficacy) at one-year follow up of After Deployment, Adaptive Parenting Tools/ADAPT among deployed mothers. Results showed that deployed mothers showed improvement in observed positive parenting but no significant reductions in coercive parenting and no increases in parental efficacy. Study 2 explored the deployment risk pathways, based on the Military Family Stress Model, among deployed fathers, deployed mothers, and non-deployed mothers. Using a multi-group analytical approach, deployed fathers were compared with deployed mothers, while non-deployed mothers were compared with deployed fathers. Indirect pathways from Post-traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) symptoms to child outcomes via parenting were examined and compared among groups. Results showed that risk pathways were significant among deployed fathers and non-deployed mothers, but not deployed mothers. Group differences on indirect pathways were found, indicating that deployed fathers and non-deployed mothers had higher magnitude risk pathways than deployed mothers. Post-hoc analyses identified that among deployed mothers, military sexual trauma (MST), rather than PTSD symptoms, had indirect effect on child outcomes via parental efficacy. These findings highlight the importance of examining coercive discipline in providing interventions among deployed mothers. The second study highlighted the importance of military sexual trauma in affecting post-deployment adjustment among deployed mothers.
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    Understanding the Financial Education, Information, and Resource Needs of Military Veterans Transitioning into College
    (2016-09) Selander, Julie
    The transition from military veteran to life as a college student is filled with many challenges and decisions (Reynolds, 2013). The challenges these “non-traditional” students face are unique. This qualitative study explored the transition experiences of eight male and three female student veterans from five different military branches at a large, public university with very high research activity to better understand the challenges these first or second year students encounter as they enter in as new college students and to better discern how they seek and receive financial information and resources. Understanding this transition and the associated challenges is important for institutions of higher education so they can better assist student veterans as they navigate through critical financial decisions, particularly during their first couple of years. A 12-question interview was conducted and a constant comparative method was used to segment data into categories, which were then synthesized into themes. Using Nancy Schlossberg’s Transition Theory as the conceptual framework for this study, several themes were revealed that related to challenges during student veterans’ transition, including balancing family, work, and service obligations, as well as issues with social transition and relating to other students. These can be barriers to successful integration and engagement to life as a college student. Administrative issues and concerns associated with the students’ veteran status at both the federal and institutional level were also identified. Student veterans, even in their early college years, were concerned with future decisions related to possible unpaid or low-paying internships and potential difficulty in finding a job after they graduated. The interviews also revealed the various ways and sources by which students receive and seek financial information during their transition, including family members, the military, institutional resources, and other student veterans on campus. Student veterans shared the ways in which they worked through various challenges, including attending the student veteran-specific orientation, connecting with other students at the veteran transition center on campus, establishing a network of friends, family, or fellow veterans, ensuring that an ample amount of money was saved prior to transitioning to college, as well as self-identifying that their advanced age and maturity helped them to push through various transition obstacles and barriers.