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Behavior
Problems of Children with Deployed versus Nondeployed Navy Mothers
Increasing
proportions of military personnel are women, including over
20% of new recruits. Many of these women have children. Although
previous studies have assessed the effects of fathers' deployment
on children, Michelle Kelley, Ellen Hock, and colleagues have
reported one of the first systematic assessments of problems
reported for children who experienced lengthy separations while
their mothers were deployed at sea. Kelley et al. compared ratings
on the preschool and school-age CBCLs from Navy mothers and
caregivers of children whose mothers were deployed for 5 to
6 months versus children of nondeployed Navy mothers. CBCL ratings
were also obtained from civilian mothers who were demographically
similar to the Navy mothers. CBCLs were completed twice, at
intervals of 8 to 9 months for Navy mothers and 1 year for civilian
mothers. Both the mothers' and caregivers' CBCL ratings showed
slightly but significantly higher Internalizing scores for the
children of deployed Navy mothers than for the other two groups.
Although all the mean scores were well within the normal range,
a significantly higher proportion of the children of deployed
mothers than of nondeployed or civilian mothers obtained Internalizing
scores in the clinical range. In addition, children of deployed
mothers obtained significantly higher Externalizing scores than
children of nondeployed mothers, although the proportion of
children scoring in the clinical range did not differ significantly.
Kelley et al. also found a small but significant correlation
between the number of days mothers were away from their children
during the previous year and Internalizing scores. The authors
concluded that “very young children with deployed parents
may be susceptible to anxiety and sadness. Because both deployed
Navy mothers and their child care providers reported this pattern
(as measured by CBCL Internalizing scores), cognitive distortion
on the part of the mother appears to be an unlikely explanation”
(p. 469).
Reference: Kelley, M. L., Hock, E., Smith, K.M.,
Jarvis, M.S., Bonney, J.F., & Gaffney, M.A. (2001). Internalizing
and Externalizing behavior of children with enlisted Navy mothers
experiencing military-induced separation. Journal of the
American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, 40,
464-471.
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