The relationship between parent–soldier communication and postdeployment soldier mental health
- Farero, A. M., Blow, A., Bowles, R., Gorman, L., Kees, M., & Guty, D. (2019). The relationship between parent–Soldier communication and postdeployment Soldier mental health. Military Behavioral Health, 7(3), 336-344. https://doi.org/10.1080/21635781.2018.1550026
- Positive family relationships can serve as a valuable resource in navigating deployment and reintegration. This study investigated communication between National Guard (NG) Soldiers and their parent(s) and their relationship quality (i.e., how Soldiers describe their relationship with their mother and father) to identify associations with Soldiers’ post-deployment mental health at reintegration and one year post-deployment. Frequent communication in the context of a close parent-Soldier relationship prior to deployment was indirectly associated with better mental health outcomes post-deployment through relationship quality. Results showed that Soldier-parent communication was associated with relationship quality, which in turn was related to Soldier mental health.
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