Impact of military life stressors on health and well-being of single-parent military families

Abstract

Background: Single-parent military families experience various unique stressors associated with the demands of military life. However, there has been minimal research examining the impact of military life on the well-being of single-parent military families in Canada. Methods: An electronic survey was completed by single Canadian Armed Forces members (N = 552) who had dependents of 19 years old or younger. Findings: This study showed that CAF single-parent families encounter many challenges, including financial strain, stressors related to relocation and deployment, and poor work-life balance. Moreover, military stressors have a negative impact on the health and well-being of both single parents and children. However, important protective factors were also identified, including the availability of peer and organizational social support and active parental coping. Discussion: This research will allow the military organization to help families to maintain and even enhance resiliency in the face of the stressors associated with military life. Various recommendations for mitigating the impact of military-life-related stressors, such as increasing awareness of family assistance programs and developing a policy that establishes consistent practices for flexible work arrangements, are offered.