Check It Out: Supporting Service Members and Their Families—On the Installation and Beyond

Establishing a broad network of service providers on the installation and throughout the larger community is critical to building a strong, resilient support network for Service members and their families. Take a look at our newest resource which highlights a range of programs and community providers who offer expertise in meeting the needs of infants, toddlers, and their families.

Spotlight on: Using Touchpoints™ With Military Families

The Touchpoints™ model, developed by Dr. T. Berry Brazelton, offers a view of child development as a series of developmental bursts, regressions, and pauses. Through each of these periods, or “touchpoints,” the family also experiences a cycle of disorganization and adjustment while the child masters new skills and abilities. Recently we spoke with Ann Stadtler, Director of Site Development at the Brazelton Touchpoints Center, to learn more about how the Touchpoints model may be useful for professionals working with military families. Click here to learn more. 

News You Can Use

Does a family’s stress level have an impact on the level of distress a child displays after a Service member parent’s injury? A new study found that families who reported higher levels of deployment-related family distress prior to an injury were more likely to report high child distress levels post-injury. In addition, families who experienced high levels of family disruption because of a Service member’s injury were also more likely to report high levels of child distress. There was no significant relationship between injury severity and child distress. 

Given the findings—that a stressed family system seems to be related to child distress—what can we do to help military families deal with the challenges of deployment, as well as with the trauma of a Service member’s injury? Researchers suggest that identifying particularly stressed military families (either pre- or post-injury) and providing strategies for resilience and assistance as quickly as possible may diminish post-injury child distress, regardless of the severity of the parent’s injury. The goal is to create a more stable family environment, one that nurtures very young children, allowing them to feel safe and secure—all variables that support healthy early development. 

For more information, take a look at:
Cozza, S. J., Guimond J. M., McKibben J. B. A., Chun, R. S. Arata-Maiers, T. L., … Ursano, R. J. (2010). Combat-injured service members and their families: The relationship of child distress and spouse-perceived family distress disruption. Journal of Traumatic Stress, 23(1), 112–115.

 
Grab & Go Resources

Our colleagues at the Center for the Study of Traumatic Stress have launched the Courage to Care Courage to Talk campaign in an effort to raise awareness and foster communication around the impact of war injuries on military families and children. This campaign, the first of its kind, seeks to connect families to resources and to health and family support professionals within the hospital environment who can answer their questions, talk with them about their children, or address other family or communication concerns related to the injury. A dedicated Web site, www.couragetotalk.org, features injury communication resources for families and professionals, and information on implementing the campaign at treatment facilities.