• Parents' Experiences with the Deployment of Their Adult Children to Combat Zones
  Presented by: Janet R. Crow, Karen S. Myers-Bowman

• Preparing for Military Deployment: The Benefits of Secure Attachment
  Presented by: Laura M. Compton

• Predeployment Predictors of Depression in a National Guard Sample
  Presented by: Christina Lisa Collins, Shelley M. MacDermid Wadsworth

• Military Wives' Experience During OIF/OEF Deployment
  Presented by: C. J. Aducci, Joyce A. Baptist, Jayashree George, Patricia Monteiro Barros, Briana S. Nelson Goff

Abstracts

Parents' Experiences with the Deployment of Their Adult Children to Combat Zones

Presented by: Janet R. Crow, Karen S. Myers-Bowman

Despite the increase of research with military families, little is known about parents' experiences when their adult children are deployed to combat zones. Analyses of qualitative data gathered through an internet-based survey revealed key themes within the parents' responses. Parents' fear, worry, and concern for their children's safety and well-being throughout the deployment cycle were evident. Difficulties communicating with their deployed children and the children's military units were also highlighted by parents. The findings are discussed using proximity, security, and connection orientations of attachment theory. Implications for future military family research and family life education are provided.

Preparing for Military Deployment: The Benefits of Secure Attachment

Presented by: Laura M. Compton

Previous research has examined the benefits of secure attachment in the context of relationship quality and adaptation during stressful situations. The existence of a secure attachment and the use of security priming can assist service-members in emotional regulation and distress management during deployment.  This research may also provide benefits to service-members and their partners when used as emotional preparation before deployment. Pre-deployment programs should provide education on attachment theory and assist couples in developing secure attachments prior to deployment.  This paper explores the support within the research for this position and the possible benefits it could provide for military couples.

Predeployment Predictors of Depression in a National Guard Sample

Presented by: Christina Lisa Collins, Shelley M. MacDermid Wadsworth

Army National Guard members and their partners preparing for a deployment to Iraq (N=210) participated in a survey assessing their predeployment experiences. Family functioning significantly predicted Guard members' predeployment depressive symptoms in a negative, linear relationship. Number of years in the relationship and social support from family significantly predicted participants' predeployment depressive symptoms in a negative, linear relationship. Family Readiness Group participation, number of past deployments, and social support from friends and other military families were not predictive. Identifying risk and protective factors of families' adjustment during predeployment could inform educational efforts aimed at helping military families prepare for deployment.

Military Wives' Experience During OIF/OEF Deployment

Presented by: C. J. Aducci, Joyce A. Baptist, Jayashree George, Patricia Monteiro Barros, Briana S. Nelson Goff

Using data collected from interviews with 25 military wives, this study honors military wives' experience during times of their spouses' foreign deployment. Guided by Gilligan et al.'s (2003) Listening Guide, feminist theory, and our research questions, the following themes emerged that represent military wives' experience during Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF)/Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF): 1) The recipe for a good military wife and 2) Managing split loyalties. In general, the findings revealed that military wives' deployment experience is disenfranchised, they are resilient during times of deployment, and they are responsible for managing the military's role in the spousal dyad.