“A fear like I've never felt”: Experiences of parents whose adult children deployed to combat zones
APA Citation:
Crow, J. R., & Myers-Bowman, K. S. (2011). “A fear like I’ve never felt”: Experiences of parents whose adult children deployed to combat zones. Marriage & Family Review, 47(3), 164–195. doi:10.1080/01494929.2011.577660
Focus:
Deployment
Mental health
Parents
Branch of Service:
Army
Multiple branches
Military Affiliation:
Active Duty
Reserve
Subject Affiliation:
Parent of a service member or veteran
Population:
Adulthood (18 yrs & older)
Young adulthood (18 - 29 yrs)
Thirties (30 - 39 yrs)
Middle age (40 - 64 yrs)
Aged (65 yrs & older)
Methodology:
Empirical Study
Qualitative Study
Authors:
Crow, Janet R., Myers-Bowman, Karen S.
Abstract:
Despite the increase of research with military families, less is known about the experiences of those parents who have adult children deployed overseas for military operations. This article presents parents’ experiences of having adult children deployed to combat zones. Qualitative data were gathered through an Internet-based survey during 2010. Analyses revealed important themes within the parents’ portrayals expressing strong reactions of fear, worry and concern for their children’s safety and well being throughout their experiences. Parents also described frustrations communicating with their deployed children. Support from formal and informal sources was important to their coping, as was assistance from religious and military organizations. Finally, parents reported varied impacts of the adult children’s deployment on the parents’ marriages. Implications for future military family research and family life education are provided.
Publisher/Sponsoring Organization:
Taylor & Francis
Publication Type:
Article
Author Affiliation:
Department of Family and Consumer Sciences, Baylor University, JRC
School of Family Studies and Human Services, Kansas State University, KSMB
Keywords:
experiences, adult children, military deployment, combat zones, fear, parents