Paper
Monday, November 5, 2007
243
What Happens When Mom Leaves and Then Comes Back?: The Impact of Maternal Absence on Adolescents and their Families due to Military Deployment
Mona P. Ternus, PhD, RN, CNS, Lieutenant Colonel, United States Air Force, Nurse Corps, University of New Mexico College of Nursing, Albuquerque, NM, USA
| Learning Objective #1: describe the effects of deployment and maternal absence on adolescent behaviors and family dynamics. |
| Learning Objective #2: identify significant health factors of military mothers of adolescents post military deployment. |
The purpose of this study was to identify issues military mothers of adolescent children may experience before, during, and after deployment. Specific aims of this study were to 1) describe the health of military mothers of adolescents after deployment; 2) identify issues associated with deployment for military mothers’ of adolescents; and 3) examine the relationship between military mothers’ health, length of deployment, family structure, support during deployment, and adolescent behaviors. A mixed methods study, primarily quantitative in nature with a nested qualitative component, utilized a cross-sectional one group correlational design with a web survey delivered to military mothers (n=77) who deployed, and at the time of deployment had an adolescent child (ages 10-18 years old). Analysis of data consisted of descriptive and correlational analysis for quantitative data and a constant comparative analysis from a grounded theory approach with the qualitative data, in order to describe the experiences and family dynamics of military mothers who have had adolescent children while deployed. Participants consisted of mothers from all services and components. Family structure and characteristics varied. A strong correlation existed between the number of somatic symptoms experienced during deployment and the following variables: number of days deployed, current maternal health, somatic symptom severity scale, depression, anxiety, possible post-traumatic stress disorder, and the number of adolescent risk behaviors linked to maternal absence. Overall themes included communication, responsibility, adaptability, fear/anxiety, abandonment, adolescent behaviors, role modeling, family relationships, and family support. Nurses understanding of the issues related to maternal absence while parenting adolescents has the potential to promote healthy behaviors, minimize the effects of separation, and support the family’s ability to appropriately parent before, during, and after an absence. Funded by the University of New Mexico, College of Nursing Dean’s Research Award