Deployment Effects on Children and Adolescents: Designing and Deploying a Developmentally Appropriate Education and Screening Video Program for Military Families

摘要

Age-appropriate video intervention toolkits (VIT) were designed and piloted with military children ages 3 to 5, 6 to 11, and 12 to 19 dealing with military deployment separation to assess for resiliency, develop coping skills, and monitor for mental health risk. Adults were educated about available resources to address stress and dysfunctional reactions to separation as well. Questionnaires revealed that 63% of children (N = 86) were unaware of materials available to them. Short-term video efficacy was demonstrated by a 15% increase in knowledge of community resources after viewing the videos. 24% of children felt they could talk more easily about issues after seeing the program. Facilitator's guides were provided to stimulate discussion afterwards. 18.2% (N = 14) of children screened positive for pre-deployment stress with the Pediatric Symptom Checklist (PSC), comparable to national norms. An additional 9.1% (N = 7) asked for assistance, suggesting that potentially 24.1% of today's deploying families may require assistance, education, or counseling. The VIT encouraged parents and children to ask questions and seek out appropriate intervention before, during, and/or after deployment leading to appropriate interventions that decrease adverse effects of deployment separation.