The Impact of Service Member Death on Military Families: A National Study of Bereavement

A recent count of American military deaths in Afghanistan and Iraq includes over 5,000 service members with a consequent impact on approximately 50,000 family members (www.defenselink.gov). The death of a service member is a life-changing event for the entire family. From the initial distress to longer term adjustment challenges, children, spouses, and extended family members face difficult emotional and practical problems as a result of bereavement. While bereavement as a result of loss of a loved one is the most common trauma human beings can expect to experience, grief and loss of those serving in the military pose potentially different challenges to family members. Although certain similarities between civilian and military bereavement are likely, it may be that those in the services possess unique risk and protective factors that affect their bereavement experience. It is imperative that research be conducted to better understand bereavement in the military context (especially in the unique case of death from combat) and will inform future interventions with grieving families.

The proposed national study considers the distinctive characteristics of military death and identifies the different experiences of family members as individuals (surviving spouse or adult partner, children, siblings, and parents of the deceased) and as a family unit. We will investigate key influencing factors such as family member demographics, attitudes, behaviors, and feelings about the loss, characteristics, and meaning of death, and usefulness of community support and resources to bereaved families.

The study will employ diverse methods to engage the bereaved military community across the country. First, we will conduct a statistical analysis of help-seeking behaviors and health care utilization by bereaved families using national databases such as TRICARE. Second, the study will create a national survey entitled the 'National Survivor's Questionnaire.' Open to 3,000 bereaved family members around the United States, the goal is to understand grief from the point of view of different family members (surviving spouse or adult partner, children, parents, and siblings of the deceased service member) at various points in time since the loss (within 3 months extending to 9 years following the death). The questionnaire may be completed online, telephonically, or in a paper version. In addition, selected families, representing Active Duty as well as the National Guard and Reserves, will be invited to participate in face-to-face interviews so that a more detailed and comprehensive understanding of military death can be obtained. Children above age 8 who agree will also be invited to share their perspectives on the loss of their parent or sibling in military service. Because so little is known about resiliency and the grieving process in young people, children will also be included in focus groups held at Tragedy Assistance for Survivor's (TAPS) Good Grief Camps held annually around the United States. Finally, a unique aspect of the current work is the collection of saliva for biomarker analysis. Recent research suggests links between genetic markers and complicated grief reactions. All subjects will be invited to provide saliva samples for analysis.

Given the size and scope of this project, we believe the results will both help identify those individuals most at risk for serious bereavement conditions due to loss of a service member (e.g., major depression, prolonged grief) and help design prevention and intervention strategies that promote military family health and resilience.