Short Summary: Impact Of Military Service On Children

Impact of Military Service on Children
There are several aspects of military life that are unique, and often misunderstood by educators. There are five main demands the military makes of the families of servicemembers, such as frequently moving, being separated from loved ones, deployment, risks such as injury or death, and behavioral norms (Segal, 1986). Permanent changes of station (PCS) make it difficult for families to build community ties, build strong relationships with school personnel, and receive continuous services, especially if children have special needs. Deployment is merely one aspect of military life that is strenuous for the families of active service members. Another hardship that many face is psychological issues. Some

studies suggest that children of military families face more psychological difficulties such as anxiety and depression (Becker et al., 2014; Flake, Davis, Johnson, and Middletown, 2009). Military families struggle to connect with school personnel and form collaborative relationships, as opposed to combative ones (Jagger, 2015). Educators should become well versed about military families and the issues they face so they can support students in their classes who are military connected.

Justification
As reported by Gerwitz in a study from 2014, over three million family members are impacted by troops deployed to Iraq or Afghanistan (Gerwitz, 2014). Although this is a startling figure, it is even more alarming when one considers even more families are impacted by military service as a whole. Deployments are not the only hardship these children and their families face. According to the Military Community and Family Policy of 2009, 100,000 children with disabilities moved an average of six to nine times throughout their academic career (Jagger, 2014). As such, it is challenging for these children and their families to build relationships in schools and to obtain the services they need. Furthermore, there may be more children that are not getting the services they need, as military families frequently report a hesitancy to seek help for fear of embarrassment, feeling as if they should be able to handle a problem on their own, worrying about being judged, having a child removed from the family, or lack of privacy (Flittner O’Grady et al., 2015). Studies have shown that the rate of military connected individuals using services is low, with as few as 20% of children receiving services they need (Kataoka, Zhang, & Wells, 2002). Students cannot learn if they feel they are not understood or cared for, or if they are lacking a service they desperately need Educators need to understand these issues so they can build relationships with students and families, and assist them in finding services or resources that they may need.