Citation

Goodman P, Turner A, Agazio JG, Throop M, Padden DL, Greiner S, Hillier SL. Mil. Med. 2013; 178(7): 729-734.

Affiliation

School of Nursing, The Catholic University of America, Gowan Hall, 620 Michigan Avenue, Northeast, Washington, DC 20064.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2013, Association of Military Surgeons of the United States)

DOI

10.7205/MILMED-D-12-00460

PMID

23820345

Abstract

Military mothers and their children cope with unique issues when mothers are deployed. In this article, we present mothers' perspectives on how military resources affected them, their children, and their caregivers during deployment. Mothers described beneficial features of military programs such as family readiness groups and behavioral health care, processes such as unit support, and policies on length and timing of deployments. Aspects that were not supportive included inflexibility in family care plans, using personal leave time and funds for transporting children, denial of release to resolve caretaker issues, and limited time for reintegration. We offer recommendations for enhanced support to these families that the military could provide.

Language: en