Communicative experiences of military youth during a parent’s return home from deployment
Research SummaryAPA Citation:
Knobloch, L. K., Pusateri, K. B., Ebata, A. T., & McGlaughlin, P. C. (2014). Communicative experiences of military youth during a parent’s return home from deployment. Journal of Family Communication, 14(4), 291-309. doi:10.1080/15267431.2014.945701
Abstract Created by REACH:
Researchers conducted interviews with youth of military families to gain an understanding of their experience of parental homecoming after deployment. Themes emerged from the interviews, including the experience of certain changes within the family, youth’s expectations of homecoming, and uncertainties about the past, present, and future.
Focus:
Children
Deployment
Other
Parents
Youth
Branch of Service:
Air Force
Army
Multiple branches
Navy
Military Affiliation:
Active Duty
Guard
Subject Affiliation:
Child of a service member or veteran
Population:
Childhood (birth - 12 yrs)
School age (6 - 12 yrs)
Adolescence (13 - 17 yrs)
Methodology:
Empirical Study
Interview
Qualitative Study
Authors:
Knobloch, Leanne K., Pusateri, Kimberly B., Ebata, Aaron T., McGlaughlin, Patricia C.
Abstract:
The return home of a service member from tour of duty can be stressful for military families (Bowling & Sherman, 2008), but surprisingly little is known about how military youth communicatively experience a parent’s homecoming (MacDermid Wadsworth, 2010). This study draws on the emotional cycle of deployment model (Pincus, House, Christenson, & Adler, 2001) to examine the reunion period in military youth’s own words. Individual interviews were conducted with 31 military youth (age range = 10 to 13 years old). Participants identified four changes to family life (RQ1), including spending time together, experiencing emotional tranquility, returning to patterns in place before deployment, and having difficulty reintegrating the service member into everyday routines. Some military youth reported that the reunion matched their expectations (RQ2), but others noted that the reunion fell short of their expectations or that they did not expect the returning service member to be so tired or so irritable. Participants also described four issues of uncertainty (RQ3), including questions about the service member’s activities during deployment, reasons for joining and deploying, family life, and the possibility of future deployments. The article concludes by examining the theoretical and pragmatic implications of the findings.
Publisher/Sponsoring Organization:
Taylor & Francis
Publication Type:
Article
REACH Publication
Author Affiliation:
Department of Communication, University of Illinois, LKK
Department of Communication, University of Illinois, KBP
Department of Human and Community Development, University of Illinois, ATE
University of Illinois, PCM
Keywords:
communicative experiences, military youth, home, deployment, family
REACH Publication Type:
Research Summary
Sponsors:
University of Illinois, Family Resiliency Center, US