EFFECTS OF IMMEDIATE REACTION FORCE DEPLOYMENT ON THE ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE AND EMOTIONAL WELLBEING OF MILITARY CHILDREN

A wealth of research is available regarding the effects of military deployment on children; however, the impact of rapid deployment—where a servicemember must leave their family with hours or days of notice of a phone call—has yet to be investigated. While military members have been preparing for this type of deployment for years, with practice exercises several times each year, it had not been a reality for the entirety of the Global War on Terror. Then, on December 31, 2019, the first servicemembers to leave the country were given two hours to report to base with their equipment, surrendered the cell phones, and were on their way to the Middle East within less than twenty-four hours of that phone call. This study aimed to understand the impact that this type of rapid deployment had on children, academically and emotionally, whose caregivers disappeared from their lives for an unspecified length of time and under conditions assumed to be dangerous. This qualitative study involved surveys and semi-structured interviews with non-deployed parents/caregivers of children in grades K-12 at the time of at least one of these rapid deployments. Though the participant pool was small, their reports were impactful. Most children in the sample did not experience a change in academic performance as a result of their parent’s rapid departure and extended absence from the family; however, all of the non-deployed parent/caregivers described increases in emotional and behavioral problems, which were still ongoing more than two years later. This study outlines implications for the military community in terms of how systems can be put in place to support children and families before, during, and after rapid deployments. Age-appropriate preparation, immediately available resources, and follow-up care are all indicated as key areas for further research.