This book examines military families' well-being and health outcomes by providing a critical theoretical perspective on their position and the risks and challenges affecting them. Authors explore the tension between demands made by two greedy institutions―the military and the family―and how the well-being of families is negotiated between the two. Uniquely, the book employs an integrative approach to observing and analyzing military-specific risk and protective factors for health outcomes of military families on various social-ecological levels, including relationship satisfaction and dissatisfaction, intimate partnership violence, parent-child relationships, child well-being, psychoactive substance abuse, depression, and PTSD. Throughout the chapters, the authors analyze research findings that reveal new health outcomes and present an empirically-tested model of military-specific risk and protective factors.
Author(s): Janja Vuga Beršnak, Jelena Juvan, Živa Humer, Andreja Živoder, Ljubica Jelušič, Alenka Švab, Bojana Lobe
Publisher: Palgrave Macmillan
Year: 2023
Language: English
Pages: 211
City: Cham
Contents
About the Authors
List of Figures
List of Tables
Chapter 1: Introduction
1.1 What One May Expect from This Book?
1.2 Europe’s Changing Security Environment
References
Chapter 2: Social Changes in Family Life in the Last Few Decades
2.1 Wider Social Context of Family Life in Late Modernity: Demographic and Family Trends
2.2 Pluralization of Family Types and Ways of Family Life
2.3 Changes in Marriage and Divorce
2.4 Changes in Fertility
2.5 Mass Female Employment
2.6 Changes in Family Roles
2.7 Division of Family Labour and Work–Life Balance
2.8 Childhood
2.9 Everyday Family Practices: Creating Family Life and Associated Challenges
2.10 Specific Characteristics of Military Families and Family Life
References
Chapter 3: The Broader Social Context Affecting Military Family Health Outcomes
3.1 Impact on the Macro Level
3.1.1 Parental Leave System
3.1.2 Childcare System
3.1.3 The Labour Market, Parental Employment and the Mechanism for Achieving Work–Life Balance
3.2 Impact on the Meso (Organizational) Level
3.3 Impact on the Individual and Micro Level
3.3.1 Between the Family and Military Organization
References
Chapter 4: Theoretical Model of Military-Specific Risk or Protective Factors for Military Family Health Outcomes
4.1 The Sample: Qualitative Data
4.2 Sampling: Quantitative Data
4.3 Limitations of the Research Process
4.4 Measurement Tool and Scales
References
Chapter 5: Health Outcomes in Military Families
5.1 Parent–Child Relationships and Child Well-being
5.1.1 Convergence Between the Expert and Systemic Recognition of Family Challenges and the Actual Needs of Military Families in Slovenia
5.1.2 Health Outcomes in Military Families: Indexes of Parenting and Child Well-being
5.1.2.1 Parental Stress
5.1.2.2 Measuring Laxness and Overreactivity
5.1.2.3 Impacts on Overreactivity and Laxness
5.1.2.4 Parenting Styles: Supporting Desirable Behaviour, Setting Boundaries and Proactive Parenting
5.1.2.5 Index of Physical and Verbal Discipline
5.1.2.6 Child Well-being
5.1.3 Key Findings
5.2 Satisfaction with the Intimate Relationship or Marriage
5.2.1 Convergence Between the Systemic Identification of Partnership Challenges and the Actual Needs of Spouses in Military Families
5.2.2 Health Outcomes: Intimate Partnership
5.2.3 Key Findings
5.3 Intimate Partner Violence
5.3.1 Convergence Between the Systemic Recognition of Intimate Partner Violence by Experts and the Actual Position
5.3.2 Health Outcomes in Military Families: Intimate Violence
5.3.3 Key Findings
5.4 Use of Psychoactive Substances (Alcohol, Drugs, Medication, Stimulants, Energy Drinks)
5.4.1 Convergence or Divergence Between the Systemic Identification of Problematic Use of Psychoactive Substances by the Experts and the Facts
5.4.2 Health Outcomes: Index of Problematic Psychoactive Substances Use
5.4.3 Key Findings
5.5 Depression and PTSD
5.5.1 Convergence Between the Expert and Systemic Recognition of Mental Health Outcomes and the Actual Needs of Military Families in Slovenia
5.5.2 Health Outcomes in Military Families: Depression and PTSD
5.5.3 Key Findings
5.6 General Assessment of Health
5.6.1 Health Outcome: Self-evaluation of Health
5.6.2 Key Findings
References
Chapter 6: Risks for the Health of the Military Family Compared to the Civilian One: Regression Analysis
6.1 Parenting Young Children
6.2 Parental Response to the Child’s Undesirable Behaviour (Laxness and Overreactivity)
6.3 Child Well-being
6.4 Intimate Partner Violence
6.5 Intimate Partnership Satisfaction
6.6 Psychoactive Substances Misuse
6.7 Depression and PTSD
6.8 Self-evaluation of General Health
Reference
Chapter 7: Discussion: Impact of Military-Specific Risk/Protective Factors on the Military Family’s Health Outcomes
7.1 What About the Children in Military Families?
7.2 Intimate Partnership Satisfaction in Military Families
7.3 Intimate Partner Violence
7.4 Psychoactive Substance Misuse
7.5 Psychological Health (Depression and PTSD)
7.6 Self-evaluation of General Health
7.7 Key Elements of the Empirically Tested Theoretical Model
References
Chapter 8: Conclusion: Selected Measures Suggested by the Research Team
8.1 What Can Be Done for Service Members?
8.2 What Can Be Done for Spouses?
8.3 What Can Be Done for Children?
8.4 To Conclude the Discussion
Index
