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Parents’ Perspectives of their Children's Reactions to an Australian Military Deployment

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  11 February 2014

Philip Siebler  and
Christopher Goddard
Philip Siebler*
Affiliation:
Department of Defence, Victoria, Australia Child Abuse Prevention Research Australia, Monash Injury Research Institute, Monash University, Victoria, Australia
Christopher Goddard
Affiliation:
Child Abuse Prevention Research Australia, Monash Injury Research Institute, Monash University, Victoria, Australia
*
addresses for correspondence: Philip Siebler, Child Abuse Prevention Research Australia, Monash Injury Research Institute, Building 70, Monash University, Clayton, Victoria 3800 E-mail: philip.siebler@monash.edu
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Abstract

This article reports on a qualitative study of Australian parents’ perceptions of their children's reactions to a military deployment as well as their help-seeking behaviours. Thirty-eight in-depth interviews were conducted with 34 Australian Defence Force (ADF) parents and 33 non-deployed parents (67 participants). Twenty-nine interviews were with couples and nine were with individuals. The findings revealed that this group of children generally fared poorly in terms of physical and mental health, and behavioural outcomes. Children and adolescents had a number of needs which were not identified, assessed or treated, and prevention programmes were reported to be limited. Factors that are associated with positive and negative outcomes from the families’ perspective are outlined. The data showed how developing a deeper understanding of military families’ needs, as well as positive worker–parent relationships, would enhance the therapeutic alliance between parents and service providers. Implications for prevention and intervention approaches in relation to both policy and service delivery are outlined.

Keywords

mental healthchildrenAustraliamilitary familysocial workmilitary deployment
Type
Articles
Information
Children Australia , Volume 39 , Issue 1 , March 2014 , pp. 17 - 24
Copyright
Copyright © The Authors 2014 

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