The well-being of military families: Coping with the stressors of military life among spouses of Canadian Armed Forces members

2015 ◽  
pp. 150-166
Keyword(s):  
Military Families ◽  
Armed Forces ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Canadian Armed Forces ◽  
Military Life

Retrospective cohort study of outpatient mental health visits in children and youth in Canadian military families

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alyson L. Mahar ◽  
Heidi Cramm ◽  
Isabel Garces ◽  
Alice B. Aiken ◽  
Simon Chen ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
General Population ◽  
Military Families ◽  
Armed Forces ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Children And Youth ◽  
Health Services Use ◽  
Physician Visits ◽  
Outpatient Mental Health ◽  
Canadian Armed Forces

LAY SUMMARY This study tried to answer the question “Do children and youth in military families have a greater risk of emotional and behavioural problems than children and youth in the general population?” The authors used routinely collected health data from children and youth in Canadian Armed Forces families who relocated to Ontario, matched to data from children and youth in non-military families. They compared outpatient mental health services use, such as physician visits, and the reasons for those visits, such as depression. They found that children and youth in military families were more likely to visit a physician for specific mental health diagnoses than children and youth in the general population. More programming and resources supporting the mental health and well-being of children and youth in military families may be needed.

The Impact of Deployment on Children From Canadian Military Families

2016 ◽  
Vol 43 (4) ◽  
pp. 654-673 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alla Skomorovsky ◽  
Amanda Bullock
Keyword(s):  
Military Families ◽  
Armed Forces ◽  
Well Being ◽  
School Age Children ◽  
Canadian Armed Forces ◽  
Social Support Seeking ◽  
Parental Deployment ◽  
Resilience Factors ◽  
Canadian Military ◽  
The Impact

Children in military families experience various stressors associated with the demands of military life, such as parental absences due to deployments. However, there is a limited understanding of children’s well-being to parental deployment from Canadian military families. This study was conducted to examine the impact of deployment on the well-being of school age children from Canadian Armed Forces families and to consider the resilience factors in their well-being. Focus groups with children ( N = 85) showed that deployment negatively impacted children’s well-being, routines, and family dynamics. Active distraction and social support seeking served as the most effective protective factors against deployment stress. Recommendations for mitigating the impact of deployment are offered.

Sex and gender: More than just demographic variables

2021 ◽  
pp. e20210027
Author(s):  
Callaghan Walter
Keyword(s):  
Armed Forces ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Demographic Variables ◽  
Sex And Gender ◽  
Canadian Armed Forces ◽  
Starting Point ◽  
Gender Based ◽  
And Gender ◽  
Published Research ◽  
Health And Well Being

LAY SUMMARY Taking as a starting point that sex and gender are not the same thing, a principal understanding of Gender-Based Analysis Plus (GBA+), this article reviews research published in 2020 on the health and well-being of Veterans and currently serving members of the Canadian Armed Forces. The purpose of this review was to see how sex and gender were referred to in this published literature. The published research tended not to differentiate between sex and gender, often using the two terms as though they referred to the same thing. Possible reasons for why this has happened are explored, as is the importance of treating sex and gender as fundamentally different things.

scholarly journals Resilient Parents… Resilient Communities: A Pilot Study Trialing the Bounce Back and Thrive! Resilience-Training Program With Military Families

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Cynthia Mikolas ◽  
Ashley Pike ◽  
Chelsea Jones ◽  
Lorraine Smith-MacDonald ◽  
Melina Lee ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Pilot Study ◽  
Disaster Response ◽  
Military Families ◽  
Role Model ◽  
Armed Forces ◽  
Military Family ◽  
Post Intervention ◽  
Canadian Armed Forces ◽  
Resilience Training ◽  
Bounce Back

IntroductionThe resilience of Canadian military families (CMFs) – the main support of the Canadian Armed Forces service members (SMs) – is imperative. The Canadian Armed Forces aims to ensure that SMs and their families are resilient and SMs ready to respond when called upon for combat, peacekeeping or pandemic/disaster-response. Family concerns, however, can realistically distract SMs from the mission, potentially compromising themselves, their unit and the mission. Resilience-training programs such as Bounce Back and Thrive! (BBT) can help families manage the realities of military life.ObjectiveThis pilot study aimed to evaluate suitability of BBT implementation by Military Family Resource Centers (MFRCs), including whether BBT: (1) fosters resilience-building among parents, (2) facilitates CMF resilience-building, (3) can be contextualized for CMFs, and (4) supports MFRCs in cultivating a culture of resilience.MethodsAn exploratory qualitative design was used. BBT was offered to parents face-to-face. Participants completed focus groups after the first 6 sessions, final 4 sessions, and one-year post-intervention. Data was thematically analyzed.ResultsNine military parents participated. Four major themes resulted: (1) military parent resilience-building, (2) CMF resilience-building, (3) BBT program feedback and contextualization, and (4) MFRCs as community resilience hubs.DiscussionBBT enabled parents to gain a new perspective on resilience, engage in dialogue and intentionally role model resilience skills. Military-specific BBT contextualization and online-delivery formats would increase suitability and access for CMFs. Access to resilience programs delivered through MFRCs would support CMFs. Further research is warranted.

scholarly journals Yoga and Canadian Armed Forces members' well-being: an analysis based on select physiological and psychological measures

2016 ◽  
Vol 2 (2) ◽  
pp. 53-61 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dianne Groll ◽  
Danielle Charbonneau ◽  
Stéphanie Bélanger ◽  
Samantha Senyshyn
Keyword(s):  
Armed Forces ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Psychological Measures ◽  
Canadian Armed Forces

scholarly journals Rationale and Methodology of the 2018 Canadian Armed Forces Members and Veterans Mental Health Follow-up Survey (CAFVMHS): A 16-year Follow-up Survey: Raison D’être Et Méthodologie De L’enquête De Suivi Sur La Santé Mentale Des Membres Des Forces Armées Canadiennes Et Des Anciens Combattants, 2018 (ESSMFACM)

2020 ◽  
pp. 070674372097483
Author(s):  
Tracie O. Afifi ◽  
Shay-Lee Bolton ◽  
Natalie Mota ◽  
Ruth Ann Marrie ◽  
Murray B. Stein ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Physical Health ◽  
Health Survey ◽  
Military Personnel ◽  
Armed Forces ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Canadian Armed Forces ◽  
Statistics Canada ◽  
Health And Well Being

Objective: Knowledge is limited regarding the longitudinal course and predictors of mental health problems, suicide, and physical health outcomes among military and veterans. Statistics Canada, in collaboration with researchers at the University of Manitoba and an international team, conducted the Canadian Armed Forces Members and Veterans Mental Health Follow-Up Survey (CAFVMHS). Herein, we describe the rationale and methods of this important survey. Method: The CAFVMHS is a longitudinal survey design with 2 time points (2002 and 2018). Regular Force military personnel who participated in the first Canadian Community Health Survey Cycle 1.2—Mental Health and Well-Being, Canadian Forces Supplement (CCHS-CFS) in 2002 ( N = 5,155) were reinterviewed in 2018 ( n = 2,941). The World Mental Health Survey–Composite International Diagnostic Interview was used with the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, fourth edition ( DSM-IV) criteria. Results: The CAFVMHS includes 2,941 respondents (66% veterans; 34% active duty) and includes data on mental disorder diagnoses, physical health conditions, substance use, medication use, general health, mental health services, perceived need for care, social support, moral injury, deployment experiences, stress, physical activity, military-related sexual assault, childhood experiences, and military and sociodemographic information. Conclusions: The CAFVMHS provides a unique opportunity to further understand the health and well-being of military personnel in Canada over time to inform intervention and prevention strategies and improve outcomes. The data are available through the Statistics Canada Research Data Centres across Canada and can be used cross-sectionally or be longitudinally linked to the 2002 CCHS-CFS data.

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