2011

Over half of the deployed military personnel are parents who leave children behind as they move into harm’s way. Two million children have experienced a parental deployment since the beginning of Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation Iraqi Freedom (Chandra et al., 2010). Many parents report high levels of stress and psychosocial problems with their children during these times. Importantly, parents who turned to sources of community support reported less stress and fewer difficulties in their children (Flake, Davis, Johnson, & Middleton, 2009). Thus the adage, “It takes a village to raise a child,” can have special significance for these families with a loved one deployed. When asked what helped during a recent separation, one National Guard parent stated, “Provide more groups where families can get together and socialize or lean on one another. I attended a monthly group but otherwise felt very isolated because I felt no one understood” (Budash, 2009).