D rL' M F f.4 T RFcIMF ED 021 256 CC Cl()2 By-Baker, Stewart L., and others IMPACT OF FATHER ABSENCE III. PROBLEMS OF FAMILYREINTEGRATING FOLLOWING PROLONGEDFATHER ABSENCE. American Orthopsychiatric Association, New York, N.Y. Pub Date Mar 68 Note-32p. Paper presented at the 45th Annual Meetingof the American Orthopsychiatric Assn., Chfca9o, March 20-23, 1968. EDRS Price MF-$0.25 HC-$1.36 Descriptors-BEHAVIOR, CHILDREN, *FAMILY PROBLEMS,FAMILY RELATIONSHIP, *FATHERLESS FAMILY, *LONGITUDINAL STUDIES, *MILITARY PERSONNEL PARENT ROLE,*PERSONALITY CHANGE, ROLE CONFLICT, SELF CONCEPT, SOCIAL ADJUSTMENT A three-phase, longitudinal study at WalterReed Hospital in Washington,D.C., of family problems with prolonged father absenceindicates that there is (1) continuing family growth beyond the situational crisis, (2) activere-examination of roles and values, and (3) heightened awareness of familystrength and resourcefulness during the career-syntonic, non-life endangering13-month father absences of professional military men. Before family separation, 67 familieswith five- to eight-year old sons participated in anassessmentevaluationincludinginterviews,standardand experimental test batteries, and inventories. Alloblective measures were repeatedwith 40 families, six to nine months after family separation.Some six months after family reintegration, 18 families (12 experimental,sixcontrol) were re-evaluated. Family adaptation during father absence was marked bysocial introversion, role reversal, and developmental phase prolongation.The families coped by means ofdirect, appropriate problem-solving and substitutivegratifications. Recommendationsfor community support offamiliesfacing extended father absenceinclude primary, secondary, and tertiary problem preventionconsiderations from the educational. religious, and medcal communities. IEGELTIU.. ILIPAcl OF F ; Ill. P:81U,4_,'..S 1.7..ALY FOLLO:a.G PROLCGL.D FatER Ai),t)Lax,* Stewart L. Baker, COL, MC, Laurence A. Cove, NAJ, MC,Stanley A. Fagen, Ph.D.,** Eleanor G. Fischer, A.C.S.W., and Earl J. Janda, Ph.D.*e.* Walter Reed General Lospital Washington, D.C. PROLOGUE "it scared him sick for a minute with that gone-empty sickness before you roll into combat. After wanting so long so bad to be hove, he was afraid . to get there . The family glanecd at hin in sudden apprehension . Father and husband, blood and union, mainstay of their life--orwanderer in foreign land, stranger- 'Well, we et goodanyhow,' she said, and set the platter dwn on the long board table, in her preoccupationtaking the head herself. The children trooped after her to their places on the benches. 'Charles, give the blessing,' she said, then caughth'orself, flushilig up as she saw Pad stillstanding.----Ue took the chair she gave up to him." Hurry Sun.clom, K. B. Gilden Doubleday, 1964 Contemporary literature reflects an increasing sensitivity tothe major and complex issues of the family reintegration experience,major because of the 41 frequency of its occurrence across the country, andcomplex because it involves C'NJ *Presented at the 45th Annual Meeting of The AmericanOrthopsychiatric Association, March 20-23, 1968, Chicago, Illinois. Data for this study were collectel as part of aproject supported by the U.S. Army Medical Research and Developtaent Comand,Office of The Surgeon General, Washington, D.C. (Project #3014501B71R.) **Now at Hillcrest Children's Center, Washington, D.C. ***Now at Overbrook Children's Center, Arlington,Virginia. of Mrs. Eeatrice a) The authors gratefully acknowledge the contributions ° Weinstein, Research Assistant, whose tireless effortshave sustained this 0(.1 project from inception, and SP/5 Paul Zane, who aidedin the data collection of families outside the Washington, D.C. area. U.S. DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH, EDUCATION & WELFARE OFFICE OF EDUCATION THIS DOCUMENT HAS BEEN REPPODUCEDEXACTLY AS RECEIVED FROM THE PERSON OR ORGANIZATION ORIGINATING IT.POINTS OF VIEW OR OPINIONS STAlED DO NOT WCCESSARILY REPRESENTOFFICIAL OFFICE OF EDUCATION POSITION OR PCLICY. 2 to such depths both the family structure and the individual psycho3ogy ofeach 2,3,4 member. For the last three years, a multi-disciplinary behavioral science team at Walter Reed General Hospital has been collecting and analyzing data on 5,6 families undergoing career-relevant stresses of military life. Regular Army middle rank enlisted nen (Grades E-4 to E-6) stationed in the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area who were alerted for overseas assignment were screened for inclusion in a lonvitudinal study of the impact of father absence. Acceptance criteria required that the soldier: (1) be married and currently living with his family; (2) have a 5- to 8-year-old male child; and (3) be on orders for an unaccorpanied-by-fardily tour of at least one year to a non-combat area. These families were asked to participate in a research project designed to study characteristics and experiences of the military family. Participation was defined as including an initial visit to Waiter Reed by both parents and son, and possible follow-up contacts later on. All of the families had already received notice of father's overseas assignment by the time we saw them. Our sample was considered representative of the large group of military career professionals: at the time of first contact they averaged 13.6 years of military service; the fathers averaged 32.8 years of age; the mothers averaged 28.6 years. Fathers' mean education level was 11.86 years.Parents had been married an average of 8.1 years. Mean number of children was 3.1 and mean age of the index male child was 6.4 years. METHODOLOGY One to three months prior to father's departure, the farily was seen for an initial evaluation (Phase I). Sociological and demographic background was obtained, and mother and father were separately interviewed to ascertain 3 and reported by ratings on basic child-rearingvariableskb factor-analyzed 7 Becker et al. A battery of standcxdand experimental techniques included: (1) The was administered to.)arents and Child. The parent battery 9 8 Scale cpestiunnaire; IPAT Anxiety ScaleQuestionnaire, and Neuroticism Questionnaire;11 (2) Objective ApperceptionTest," (3) The Military Life of (4) Child ProblemChecklist;12 (5) Family Role Inventory (developed by one 5 inventories concerningfamily the investigators(Janda); and (6) objective (7) a social participation andfinancial status. Each child was administered Drawings; (9) Blacky Peabody Picture VocabularyTest; (8) House-Person-Family 13,14 15 The assessment was Test; and (10) Lynn StructuredDoll Play Test. several obviowly programed to beextensive, requiring thatthe family spend hours with the research team. Twenty-seven of these, A total of 67 families werestudied in Phase I. longer met our criteria for a variety of reasons,became unavailable or no Due to by Phase II, and da':.a weretherefore corLected on40families.5 orders of many of the factors characteristic ofthe military milieu, the cancelled so thatai the time fathers on overseas alerthad been changed or actually living through a of re-evaluation only23 of the 40 families were continund to live in our areawith father at home separation. The families who assessments were became a Control (Cn) group. Procedures during subsequent extended to collect data onfamily coping styles. father had departed for Not less than 6 nor morethan 9 months after the had received the the hardship tour (that is, some9 to 12 months after he contacted for a Phase IIevaluation. original alerting order),the family was all Families remaining in theWashington area wereinterviewed personally and techniques were em- objective measures were repeated. Only paper-and-pencil them were collected via ployed for those who moved outof town since data from 4 less cor.plete for out-of-tunfamilics-- the nails. As a result, infomati ol. was mothers cowletina onlyitems 1, 3, 4, and 6 from Phase I battery. Lio-- insight into ever, withall pothers, specialemp:,3sis was placed on gaining during the father-absent family experiences,including difficulties experienced period. All fathers colupleted their overseastours, which averaged13 conths' duration. who had beea A Phase Ili evaluation wasthea coaducted on Chosefar.ili earlier thar. 6 months rejoined by the father. This was scheduled to occur no III following his return. At the tie of thiswriting, we have oLtained Fhase (E:CP), 8 whe had continued dota on 18 far.ilies. Twelve were E:-.perir.entals residence in the 1:ashington areaduring the father abscaee,4 who had Loved this away during it. The other 6 were familieswho served as Cns throughout With period. The sAaall size of the sarplereflects a num'oer cf influences. heavily on increas4d cormitnents overseas,the Army must depend even Lore scheduled for Fhase III contact, its career professionals..By thc time they were a number ofthese noncozAlissionedofficers had been sent back overseas, sove to Europe, and some tothe Pacific area. Cther.reasons included fanilyLrta- ups followingfather's return and retireLentfroL. the service. We care to recognize thedifficulties of doing longitudinalstudies To mak of l'eoile faiilies. The research uait mustitself becot.e mobile. reunited and !roved Phase III contact with 9everalof the fcl flies who had nark if you will to distant posts, wedeveloped an airLor:-.e capacity: the progre3s of a psychologistwho, on succeqsive days, sawfamilies and two in Fort Hood, Texas, Fort inachuca,Arizona, and Los Angeles, prograrling days later saw a fa ily inColuz-bus, Mio. Besides the extraordinary 5