Protective Factors for Veteran Fathers’ Parenting Functioning and Parenting Satisfaction

• In Event: 2-064 - A Strengths-based Approach to Examining Parenting Within the Context of the Military

Integrative Statement

Research on military fathers from a strengths perspective is still emerging, as much of the literature has focused on the negative effects of fathers’ military service (Karre, Perkins, & Aronson, 2018). This study sought to investigate protective factors that are related to fathers’ positive parenting. Logistic regression analyses were conducted to examine the relationship between hypothesized protective factors and parenting functioning (e.g., been actively involved in your child(ren)’s activities) and parenting satisfaction (e.g., how much enjoyment you get from parenting) in a sample of 3810 active duty veteran fathers with children 18 years old and younger. We controlled for age, rank, ethnicity, service branch, military occupation, education, marital status, spouse/partner’s military status, and discharge status.

Veteran fathers who were African American, who were 25 years old or younger, chose not to re-enlist in the National Guard/Reserve (NG/R), or whose spouse/partner was serving in the military at the time of the survey were more likely to report better parenting functioning. Moreover, having a secure financial status, having better health functioning, being more resilient, having social support, having positive social functioning with community and friends, and having positive social functioning with relatives were all associated with a higher likelihood of a better parenting functioning. The interaction between deployment status (i.e., deployed three or more times vs. deployed two or fewer times) and resilience was significant. For fathers who deployed three or more times, although resilience was still a protective factor, it was not as strong of a protective factor as it was for fathers deployed two or fewer times.

Male veterans who were junior enlisted, were married for the first time, or who reported better emotional health reported more parenting satisfaction. In addition to the control variables, having better health functioning, being more resilient, having social support, having positive social functioning with community and friends, and having positive social functioning with relatives were associated with a higher likelihood of being very satisfied with parenting. The number of deployments was not related to parenting satisfaction. Traumatic combat exposure also was not related to parent functioning or satisfaction in this sample.

Among fathers in a romantic relationship (n=3493), there was an interaction between the number of deployments and relationship functioning (with partner); relationship functioning was not as strongly related to parenting satisfaction for fathers who deployed more often as opposed to less often. Similarly, there was an interaction between the number of deployments and relationship satisfaction (with partner); relationship satisfaction was not as strongly related to parenting satisfaction when fathers deployed more often as opposed to less often. These findings provide insight into factors that may help military fathers thrive.

Authors

• Jennifer Karre, The Pennsylvania State University
  Presenting Author

• Nicole Morgan, The Pennsylvania State University
  Non-Presenting Author

• Julia A. Bleser, The Pennsylvania State University
  Non-Presenting Author

• Daniel F. Perkins, The Pennsylvania State University
  Non-Presenting Author