Written by: Hannah Bradford, M.A.Ed
Military youth experience a unique lifestyle, which can sometimes cause significant stress and be difficult for others who are not military-connected to understand. Three specific factors have been identified in research as unique stressors endured by military youth: frequent moving, extended parental separations, and physical and mental health risks experienced by military service members, which affect the family unit (Frederick, & Siebler, 2022). While these factors can be experienced by all youth, military youth experience them more frequently, creating patterns of instability and uncertainty.
For military families, there are also specific times when the household experiences higher stress, such as during the deployment cycle. The deployment cycle consists of the preparation time before a service member leaves for a deployment, the period in which the service member is absent from the household for the deployment, and the period of reintegration when the service member returns home. The entire deployment cycle is a particularly stressful time, which contributes to higher stress on the household parent and is associated with higher rates of child maltreatment (Hinojosa et al., 2022).
Impact of Stress
According to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) and the US Department of Health and Human Services (n.d.), this increase in risk for child maltreatment is due to the increased stress levels on the at-home parent, resulting in trouble regulating their own emotions and impaired ability to maintain appropriate care for the child(ren). While child maltreatment occurs in both military and civilian families, research shows that rates of child maltreatment are higher in military families, particularly when one parent is away on a deployment (SAMHSA & US Department of Health and Human Services, n.d.).
Stress associated with frequent moving, parental absence, and service member physical and mental health risks has been identified as predictive factors for military youth mental health outcomes (Hinojosa et al., 2022). Some common problems military youth experience include:
- Trouble building peer relationships,
- Trouble with social functioning,
- Learning difficulties,
- Behavioral concerns, and
- Feelings of anger, sadness, anxiety, and isolation (Frederick, & Siebler, 2022).
Because youth spend so much time at school, they often seek support within the school environment. However, many military youth attend schools off-post, which are often composed of primarily civilian faculty and peers who may not understand the unique facets of military life (Frederick, & Siebler, 2022). Research suggests that the school environment can be a key source of support for military youth when they are supported by multi-disciplinary providers who can work together collaboratively to meet their unique needs (Frederick, & Siebler, 2022). For the providers supporting them, this means coming together to help bolster resilience in military youth.
Youth Mental Health
So what does this mean for military youth mental health?
Surprisingly, military children who frequently move, experience parental absence, and have parents with physical and mental health issues report lower levels of impact on mental health than civilian counterparts who have similar experiences (Hinojosa et al., 2022). Researchers suggest this may be partially due to the support resources available to them.
According to Hinojosa et al., (2022), military families have many protective factors and strengths, including:
- Increased access to healthcare
- Financial stability
- Access to support resources such as Family Readiness groups and other community support groups
To best support military youth mental health, providers can gain knowledge about their specific needs, work together to support military youth in the school environment, and help families channel the many resources and strengths available to them.
OneOp will be holding comprehensive conversations around how providers can support military-connected youth’s well-being in the 2025 Military Family Readiness Academy (MFRA).Learn how you can be a part of this free, online professional development experience taking place in August and September. Registration is open at https://oneop.org/series/2025academy/.
References:
Frederick, J., & Siebler, P. (2022). Military children: Unique risks for mental health and wellbeing and implications for school-based social work Support. Smith College Studies in Social Work, 92(4), 219–239. https://doi.org/10.1080/00377317.2023.2189469
Hinojosa, M. S., Hinojosa, R., Condon, J., & Fernandez-Reiss, J. (2022). Child mental health outcomes in military families. Journal of Human Behavior in the Social Environment, 32(5), 591–602. https://doi.org/10.1080/10911359.2021.1937436
Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration & US Department of Health and Human Services. (n.d.). Child Maltreatment in Military Families. A Fact Sheet for Providers. https://www.nctsn.org/sites/default/files/resources/child_maltreatment_military_families_providers.pdf
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