Combat-injured service members and their families: the relationship of child distress and spouse-perceived family distress and disruption.
Combat injury in military service members affects both child and family functioning. This preliminary study examined the relationship of child distress postinjury to preinjury deployment-related family distress, injury severity, and family disruption postinjury. Child distress postinjury was assessed by reports from 41 spouses of combat-injured service members who had been hospitalized at two military tertiary care treatment centers. Families with high preinjury deployment-related family distress and high family disruption postinjury were more likely to report high child distress postinjury. Spouse-reported injury severity was unrelated to child distress. Findings suggest that early identification and intervention with combat-injured families experiencing distress and disruption may be warranted to support family and child health, regardless of injury severity.
Center for the Study of Traumatic Stress, Uniformed Services University, Bethesda, MD 20817, USA. scozza@usuhs.mil
Stephen J
SJ
Cozza
Jennifer M
JM
Guimond
Jodi B A
JB
McKibben
Ryo S
RS
Chun
Teresa L
TL
Arata-Maiers
Brett
B
Schneider
Alan
A
Maiers
Carol S
CS
Fullerton
Robert J
RJ
Ursano
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D055826:Afghan Campaign 2001-; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005195:Family Relations; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007407:Interviews as Topic; D054542:Iraq War, 2003-2011; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D008889:Military Personnel; D002666:Psychology, Child; D018454:Spouses / Q000523:psychology*; D013315:Stress, Psychological; D014481:United States; D014947:Wounds and Injuries; D055815:Young Adult