Deployment Family Stress: Child Neglect and Maltreatment in U.S. Army Families

PUBLIC ABSTRACT

Recent scientific reports describe increasing rates of child maltreatment and child neglect in the U.S Army that correspond to the increased military personnel combat deployment (PERSTEMPO) due to the increases in Army deployments to Iraq and Afghanistan. These findings suggest a relationship between combat deployment, military family stress, and child maltreatment that require further research attention.

This project proposes to (1) study and describe the phenomenology of Army child neglect; (2) identify child, parent, and family risk and protective factors that contribute to child neglect, to include deployment; (3) identify military community contributions to child neglect; and (4) identify surrounding civilian community factors that may contribute risk or protection to child neglect behaviors in the current military context of frequent multiple combat deployments.

A three-pronged, cross-informing methodology will be utilized to collect information in varying formats at 30 identified Army installation sites within this community sample grouping. This three-pronged methodology will include the following approaches: key informant data collection, clinical record reviews of substantiated child neglect cases, and military and civilian community resource and characteristics data collection and analysis. Key informant data collection will include both key informant interviews conducted at the four Army installations with the greatest number of substantiated neglect cases during the index period and key informant questionnaires collected at all 30 installations identified for study. Clinical record reviews will be conducted at the four Army installations with the greatest number of substantiated neglect cases during the index period. Clinical record reviews will provide data on the characteristics of child neglect incidents that have been substantiated by a multidisciplinary case review committee at each installation. An examination of military and civilian community resource and characteristics data will assist in developing installation profiles of their demographic structure, PERSTEMPO, military function as well as their civilian and military social and resource characteristics. The results of this project will improve understanding of child neglect phenomena within the U.S. Army, clarifying contributing risk and protective factors at multiple levels within the family and community.