Military families may experience unique behavioral health concerns due to stressors such as deployment, relocation, injury, and exposure to combat while deployed, which can lead to mental and physical injuries and trauma. The stressors and experiences of military life and deployment can affect a family in areas such as readjustment before and after a deployment, handling finances, parenting, and coping with long separations under life and death circumstances. The following resources provide information to help support the mental and behavioral health of military children and their families.
The Military Child Initiative
Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health & Johns Hopkins Center on School, Family and Community Partnerships
Assists public schools with improving the quality of education for highly mobile and vulnerable young people, with a special focus on military children and their families. This website provides national, State, and local education agencies with information, tools, and services that enhance school success.
Military and Veterans Families and Children
National Child Traumatic Stress Network (2014)
Provides resources to assist military family members and their health-care and service providers.
Publications and Resources on Veterans and Military Families
Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (2016)
Connects to publications, evidence-based practice, national strategies, and training resources related to the mental and physical health of combat veterans and their families.
Spouses and Children of U.S. Military Personnel: Substance Use and Mental Health Profile From the 2015 National Survey on Drug Use and Health (PDF - 594 KB)
Lipari, Forsyth, Bose, Kroutil, & Lane (2016)
National Survey on Drug Use and Health Data Review
Examines the incidence and ramifications of substance use and mental health issues in military families.
Veterans and Active Duty
National Alliance on Mental Illness (2018)
References resources and partnerships dedicated to mental health policy, education, advocacy, and other initiatives that are specific to active duty military and veterans with mental health concerns and their families.