The Relation Between Mothers’ Military Experiences, Protective Factors, and Parenting Functioning and Satisfaction

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

Integrative Statement

A total population of veterans who separated from military service were invited to participate in a prospective study examining veterans’ transitions from military to civilian life. The sample of 711 female veterans who separated from the Active component, and have at least one child 18 years and younger were included in the analysis. With recent policy changes that increase the number of females in combat zones, it is important to understand what factors are related to better parenting. Most current literature examines parenting among National Guard and Reserve parents, but few studies examine active duty parents. This study sought to investigate the predictors of parenting in active duty female veterans.

A principal components analysis of a traumatic combat exposure scale was conducted. For females, two factors emerged: one related to going on combat patrol missions (e.g., encountered land or water mines, booby traps; searching and/or disarming potential enemy combatants) and one related to seeing wounded or disfigured civilians/fellow soldiers. Logistic regression analyses were conducted to examine the relationship between hypothesized protective factors and parenting functioning and parenting satisfaction. The analyses controlled for age, rank, ethnicity, service branch, military occupation, education, marital status, spouse/partner’s military status, and discharge status.

Female veterans who were officers were less likely to report better parenting functioning. Post military separation constructs that increased the likelihood of better parenting functioning were health functioning, positive social functioning with community and friends, and positive social functioning with relatives. There were no interactions between these factors and the number of deployments. However, consistent with the research, mothers who experienced combat exposure that resulted in emotional numbing, a symptom of PTSD, were less likely to report better parenting functioning. Unexpectedly, female active duty veterans who experienced one deployment, as opposed to no deployments, were 50% more likely to reported better parenting functioning. There was no difference in parenting functioning for female veterans with two or three or more deployments versus no deployments.

Female veterans who were honorably discharged, or reported better emotional well-being, those with better health functioning, higher resilience, more social support, positive social functioning with community and friends, and positive social functioning with relatives were more likely to report being very satisfied with their parenting. Female veterans who were in the Army (compared to the Navy), or were in their first marriage (compared to second marriage) were also more likely to report being very satisfied with parenting. Again unexpectedly, female active duty veterans who experienced one deployment, as opposed to no deployments, were more likely to report being very satisfied with their parenting.

Although deployment to a combat zone was related to an increased likelihood of parenting functioning and satisfaction, the specific factor of combat patrol missions was the only factor related to a lower likelihood to report better parenting functioning OR=0.58 [0.34, 0.99] p < .05. The implications of these findings for military mothers and future directions for research are discussed.

Authors

• Nicole Morgan, The Pennsylvania State University
  Presenting Author

• Jennifer Karre, 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