Military families' stressful reintegration, family climate, and their adolescents' psychosocial health

O’Neal, C. W., & Mancini, J. A. (2021). Military families’ stressful reintegration, family climate, and their adolescents’ psychosocial health. Journal of Marriage and Family, 83(2), 375-393. https://doi.org/10.1111/jomf.12711

This study explored the associations between stressful family reintegration (i.e., experiencing relationship strain and difficulty adapting to change during reintegration) after deployment and adolescent psychosocial health (i.e., anxiety, depression, self-efficacy, and personal well-being). Further, this study examined family climate, including family cohesion (i.e., closeness, support), parenting quality, and interparental conflict, as factors that may explain the associations between stressful reintegration and adolescent psychosocial health while accounting for military context (e.g., rank and amount of time since the most recent deployment). Secondary data from 238 military families (i.e., active-duty Service member, civilian spouse, and an adolescent) were analyzed to examine these associations. Overall, parents’ stressful reintegration was related to family climate and, in turn, to adolescents’ psychosocial health.

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