Family separation from military service and children's externalizing symptoms: Exploring moderation by non-military spouse employment, family financial stress, marital quality, and the parenting alliance

Richardson, S. M., Pflieger, J. C., Hisle-Gorman, E., Briggs, E. C., Fairbank, J. A., & Stander, V. A. (2024). Family separation from military service and children’s externalizing symptoms: Exploring moderation by non-military spouse employment, family financial stress, marital quality, and the parenting alliance. Social Development, 33(1), Article e12713. https://doi.org/10.1111/sode.12713

Separation from the military can be a stressful transition period for military families. This study examined whether a military family’s separation status was related to their young child’s externalizing behaviors (e.g., restlessness, overactivity) over a 3-year period. This study also tested whether this link differed based on levels of marital quality, coparenting quality, financial stress, or the civilian spouse’s employment status. 909 Service member/civilian spouse dyads with a child aged 3–6 were assessed. Data on separation during the study period were obtained from administrative records. Overall, military separation differentially impacted child externalizing behaviors based on civilian spouses’ employment status and coparenting quality.

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