https://aub.ie/MilitaryREACH-Kritikos19TRIP

Kritikos, T. K., Comer, J. S., He, M., Curren, L. C., & Tompson, M. C. (2019). Combat experience and posttraumatic stress symptoms among military-serving parents: A meta-analytic examination of associated offspring and family outcomes. Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology, 47(1),131-148. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10802-018-0427-5

Data from 22 studies were combined in a systematic manner (i.e., meta-analysis) to examine associations between service members’ combat exposure, posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and posttraumatic stress syndrome (PTSS) and their family difficulties, including: parenting problems, (e.g., decreased child engagement), family functioning, and offspring symptoms (e.g., child behavioral problems). Overall, the results suggest significant associations between military parental PTSD/PTSS and military family difficulties with small-to-medium effect sizes. Similarly, associations were found between parental combat and family difficulties, but the strength of these associations (i.e., effect size) were relatively small.

https://doi.org/10.1007/s10802-018-0427-5

Children
Mental health
Parents
Veterans
Youth

Multiple branches

Active Duty
Guard
Reserve
Veteran

Child of a service member or veteran
Spouse of service member or veteran

Childhood (birth - 12 yrs)
Adolescence (13 - 17 yrs)
Adulthood (18 yrs & older)

Meta-analysis

Kritikos, Tessa K., Comer, Jonathan S., He, Meiqi, Curren, Laura C., Tompson, Martha C.

In this meta-analysis, we review findings on the relationships between parental combat exposure and PTSD/PTSS in military-serving families and (1) parenting problems, (2) family maladjustment, and (3) offspring problems. We systematically searched for studies in PsycInfo, PsychArticles, Psychology and Behavior Sciences Collection, Published International Literature on Traumatic Stress (PILOTS), and PubMed/Medline as well as conducted manual searches. Search procedures identified 22 eligible studies, including 20 studies examining relationships between parental PTSD/PTSS and parenting, family, and/or offspring outcomes and 8 studies examining relationships between parental combat exposure and parenting, family, and/or offspring outcomes. Random effects meta-analytic models estimated omnibus associations between parental combat exposure/PTSD and pooled Family Difficulties, as well as individual relationships between parental combat exposure and PTSD/PTSS and parenting, family adjustment, and offspring outcomes. Small-to-moderate effect sizes were observed in the omnibus meta-analysis examining relationships between parental PTSD/PTSS and pooled Family Difficulties, and in the meta-analysis examining relationships between parental PTSD/PTSS and parenting problems, between parental PTSD/PTSS and poor family functioning, and between parental PTSD/PTSS and offspring problems. Associations between parental combat exposure and pooled Family Difficulties, as well as between parental combat exposure and parenting problems were smaller in magnitude. PTSD/PTSS among military-serving parents is associated with increased problems in the family environment, including parenting problems, family maladjustment, and offspring problems, whereas combat exposure alone is not as strongly associated with such family difficulties. Moderator analyses are presented and discussed as well. When military-serving parents show psychological symptoms, professionals should consider allocating resources to target broader family issues.

Springer

Article
REACH Publication

Boston University, TKK
Florida International University, JSC
University of Pittsburgh Graduate School of Public Health, MH
Boston University, LCC
Boston University, MCT