U.S. Air Force Families with Young Children Who Have Special Needs

A stable military force depends on the retention of qualified service members. A group of service members that is leaving the military at a faster rate than others is women with children (DACOWITS, 2005) . Increasing numbers of women are serving in the military, and family responsibilities are incre...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Author: Copeland, Carol M
Format: Report
Language:English
Subjects:
AIR FORCE PERSONNEL
CHILDREN
DISABILIED PERSONS
FAMILIES(HUMAN)
FAMILY MEMBERS
HANDICAPPED PERSONS
Medicine and Medical Research
MILITARY PERSONNEL
MOBILITY
MOTIVATION
Personnel Management and Labor Relations
Psychology
RATES
RESOURCES
ROLES(BEHAVIOR)
SOCIAL PSYCHOLOGY
SPECIAL NEEDS
STABILITY
WOMEN
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Summary:A stable military force depends on the retention of qualified service members. A group of service members that is leaving the military at a faster rate than others is women with children (DACOWITS, 2005) . Increasing numbers of women are serving in the military, and family responsibilities are increasing for military men as well as women (Bourg & Segal, 1999 ; Military Family Resource Center, 2004). Examining the particular role strains on parents who serve in the military supports retention efforts tailored to this group . One such strain is the mobility of military families . Families who have children with special needs encounter specific challenges in managing mobility due to the geographically based differences in service delivery systems . This study surveyed Air Force families with young children who have special needs . A purposive sample from across the continental United States provided information regarding the types of needs experienced, the types of services desired, and the sources of services received . The 47 respondents provided information regarding the challenges they encountered in pursuing 112 services, the helpfulness of case managers and others, and their satisfaction with services . Additionally, they rated the perceived impact on the military career of having a child with special needs. The original document contains color images.