Summer 2014

The Military Family

Syndrome is it applicable
today? by Donetta Quinones, Academic Research Solutions
Current research on the impact of the deployment cycle on the
military family has brought forth the necessity to reevaluate past
research on the impact of the military community on the family
unit. The Military Family Syndrome is an article published in
1978 in the American Journal of Psychiatry. Dr. Don Lagrone
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The Military Family
Syndrome is it
applicable today?
In 1978, Dr. Don Lagrone
reviewed the case records of
792 children and adolescents
who were seen in a military
mental health clinic on a
military base in the midwest.
The results of his case review
yielded some interesting
results that could be
applicable in todays military
environment.
Family!Friendly
Environment and
Soldier Performance:
What leaders at every
level should know.
It is no surprise, to civilian
organizations, that work-life
conict can impact employee
productivity levels. The military
attempts to implement these
practices however the success
levels vary based on the
willingness of unit leadership
to implement family-friendly
policies. Learn more about
how family-friendly
environments impact U.S.
Army Soldiers.
ARS REPORT
Military Edition
Summer 2014
discussed seven problem areas that he determined to be
universally common among military families when he reviewed
case records of children and adolescents diagnosed with
behavioral disorders. The seven problem areas were identied as:
the Military!Family Relationship, Father Absence, Transiency,
Methods of Parenting, Scapegoating, Husband!Wife
Relationship, and Treatment & Resistance. Comparisons were
made between diagnoses made of children and adolescents in the
military clinics compared with those from a Texas civilian clinic.
The comparison yielded results demonstrating that behavioral
disorders were more frequently made in military clinics. The
author posed an important point that deserves further
exploration: Are the diagnosed behavioral issues a demonstration of an
individual defect or an expression of an attitude of disi!usionment that
the family experienced through involvement in "what Dr. Lagrone
determined to be# a pathological system.
In review of The Military$Family Relationship, Dr. Lagrone
noted the importance of understanding the military culture in
order to understand the impact that it has on the family unit. He
describes the military as an institution composed of various
organizational systems that is under the administration of a small
group of people. The small group of individuals promote
e#ciency in the accomplishment of mission directives that is
transmitted through a chain of command.
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Are you aware of the
effects of combat
deployment on
military children?
In a research article published by the
American Academy of Child &
Adolescent Psychiatry, Lester et al.
(2010) concluded that parental
combat deployment can have a
cumulative effect on children. These
effects can remain even after the
military parent returns home from
deployment. The psychological
distress of the Active Duty (AD)
parent and the
At-Home Caregiving (AHC) parent
are predictors of the levels of distress
experienced by the child. Children
were noted as experiencing
signicantly elevated levels of anxiety
when compared to their civilian
counterparts.
Researchers note the importance of
addressing the elevated levels of
anxiety in children due to the
potential interference it may have
with important child
developmental tasks and family life.
Parents and children can develop
skills that will enable them to
decrease the amount of
psychological distress experienced
by combat deployment. Involvement
in social organizations and activities
that mitigate the impact of the
pending separation and also
supports the family unit can help to
decrease the anxiety experienced by
the AHC parent and the children.
Summer 2014

Military Culture
Dr. Lagrone describes the military culture as a system
where one persons infractions stand out against the
compliance of the rest. He described a process of
assimilation $mortication% of the soldier into a
system that promotes compliance as the individuals
life is managed by the military chain of command. The
authoritative hierarchy directs the personal and
professional development of the soldier; causing the
soldier to sometimes experience frustration in his or
her ability to: handle personal or professional a&airs,
express personal or professional opinions, and communication of conict with chain of command. Dr.
Lagrone indicated that this systemic approach to the soldier is translated to the children and
adolescents of these soldiers as family members $dependents% become the responsibility of the soldier
who is expected to enforce compliance within the family. He stated that this is done to strengthen
the soldiers coalition with the military to bring about a cohesive military family unit.
Father Absence
Dr. Lagrones research was conducted during a time when the military did not have a high rate of single!
parent family units or families where the mother is the soldier. His research statements could still be
justied as being applicable in 2014 as it was in 1978. He stated that the most severe stress a military
family faces is enforced separation from the father. Current research on the deployment cycle defends
this idea that family separation from the soldier creates various stressors that impacts the functioning of
the military family unit.
The article outlined several key factors that is important to note when evaluating the problems that are
universally common to military families. There is a di&erence between deployments and regular
military!family separations. Deployments result in the soldier separating from the family to perform
military duties in a military combatant environment. Regular military separations involve trips the
soldier may take for military training, temporary duty, or administrative a&airs. This factor is important
because during a soldiers military career, the family may experience several military separations that
causes a family member to experience separation anxiety and the responsibility of taking over
functions of the absentee parent. Dr. Lagrone noted that the women he interviewed felt little support
from friends and relatives during these separations. He mentioned the need for mothers and children to
become physically and emotionally self!su#cient in providing support to one another. As outlined by
many of the current articles on the deployment cycle, the soldier can experience di#culty reintegrating
into the family unit due to the change in family dynamics.

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Summer 2014
Transiency
Dr. Lagrone mentioned a gypsy phenomenon that is
prominent in the military community due to the
transient lifestyle of the family unit. This presents a
problem for some family members as they may nd a
problem with forming relationships outside of the
military community. He noted that members of the
outside community may nd it problematic to trust or
depend on relationships with members of the military
community. Military children and adolescents may
experience problems becoming accepted into peer
groups which may ultimately result in acting out
behaviors.
Methods of Parenting
The parenting style found in military families
were reviewed as being authoritarian, democratic,
and a mixed!inconsistent style. Dr. Lagrone noted
that some families felt as if they managed their
children in a democratic fashion; however, they
were authoritarian or inconsistent in their
approach to parenting. His ndings from the
review of 792 children and adolescents revealed
that nearly 93' of those with behavioral
disorders came from authoritarian families.
Further review of these cases revealed that the
soldiers of these families were enlisted personnel
who were not college educated and were
considering a career in the service. Dr. Lagrone
noted how these soldiers came from similar
family environments which he believed to be
the reason for their ability to feel comfortable
in operating within the military!family system.
Scapegoating
Dr. Lagrone described scapegoating as a
process found in the military that is carried into
the family environment. The prohibition of the
confrontation between soldier and higher
enlisted along with the channeling of conict
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Summer 2014
through the chain of command causes scapegoating which results in the trickle down e&ect with
various entities or individuals being singled out as a source of grievance. Dr. Lagrone indicated that the
purpose of this process is because, it is easier to single out someone as the cause than to examine the
system. The soldier is believed to carry this process home to the family environment; often focusing
on a family member as the source of family conict instead of examining the intricate nature of
military family functioning.
Husband$Wife Relationship
Although it may sound old fashioned in its
presentation, Dr. Lagrones discussion of the marital
relationship is a current deployment related issue that
is discussed in current research on the topic. Dr.
Lagrone described the Husband$Wife Relationship as
beginning with ordinary expectations of marital bliss
with roles and responsibilities outlined by the
dominant culture. Dr. Lagrone described situations
with women marrying soldiers due to their attraction
to their military machismo, however the problem arises
when they are disappointed to nd that the military created a compliant individual who may be unable
to meet their emotional needs. Feeling rejected, Dr. Lagrone noted that the wife has no other choice
than to become independent and feel emotionally estranged from the soldier during military
separations. Dr. Lagrone presented another scenario that described the military soldier who returns
home from a military separation to nd that his once dependent wife is now independent. The
soldiers machismo is threatened by the wifes newly found level of independence. These changes
impact the functioning of the family system as family members attempt to readjust to the changes in
roles and responsibilities.


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Summer 2014
Treatment and Resistance
Dr. Lagrone mentioned several points that
members of the military community should
take into consideration when seeking
treatment or when experiencing resistance to
treatment. These points include:
1. The soldier has a strong coalition with
the military that cannot be broken until
the soldier separates from the military.
2. Transiency disrupts the provision of
treatment which can impact of therapy.
3. Scapegoating is a process that is used in
the military, the local community, and
within the family unit.
4. Resistance to therapy is prevalent in
military families, with o#cers
demonstrating more reluctance than
enlisted personnel due to concerns over
the privacy of their records.
The research Dr. Lagrone presented from his
case review in 1978 describes what he
determined to be a pathological system that
directly impacted the behavioral functioning of
the family system. He concluded that the
father is strongly aligned with the military
system in such a way that he becomes its agent
even within the family system. He believed
that the military family syndrome is a result of
the father relying on military support while the
family is forced to rely on themselves for
emotional support. Dr. Lagrone acknowledged
military support services; however he maintains
that these support services are vehicles used to
advocate support of the military family system.
Military therapists are subject to the same
devices the system uses to enforce compliance
in other system membersthey might be in a
rather rigid bind if they view themselves as
advocates for the family. Dr. Lagrone goes on
to say that the therapist remains an
advocate of the military and the scapegoating
process continues. Dr. Lagrone defends his
ndings and comments as an attempt to
understand a complex system that is applicable
in other government institutions $i.e. ! police
force% in a later article published in the
American Journal of Psychiatry in 1982.
Is the Military Family Syndrome described
in 1978 rea!y that di&erent 'om what the
military family is experiencing in 2014?
Current research into the impact of military
deployment on the military family
acknowledges many of the points that Dr.
Lagrone outlines in his 1978 article. Cale
Palmer discusses the research ndings that
supports many of the claims made by Dr.
Lagrone in his 2008 research article, A Theory
of Risk and Resilience Factors in Military
Families. The article reviews how parental
stress and psychopathology experienced by
military life impacts the life of military
children. The Parenting Cycle of
Deployment is a research article by Dr. Ellen
R. DeVoe and Abigail Ross that identied
those specic transitory challenges military
families experiences when the military spouse
deploys. They discuss the various stressors the
at!home parent experience as they help their
children to cope with the deployment and
reintegration of the military spouse. Suzanne
Marnocha $2012% outlines coping strategies
military wives utilize during deployments. All
of these research articles and more
demonstrate how, Military families are
relatively unique with regard to the
constellation of factors that inuence them
$Palmer, 2008%.
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Summer 2014
Some may view Dr. Lagrones description of the
military system as a pessimistic description of
an organization that defends our countrys
freedom. An attempt to have a balanced review
of the research and my personal experience as a
military child and a military spouse grants me
the ability to say that Dr. Lagrone is correct in
describing the military as a complex system that
presents various factors that can negatively
impact the family unit. I also note that the
military continues to evolve and has made
various attempts to address past and current
issues through various mandates and programs
that are found to be benecial in the civilian
world. As the following research article
outlines, perception is everything when
reviewing the impact of military policy on the
military family unit.

Family!Friendly Environment and Soldier
Performance: What every military leader should
know to optimize physical fitness, self!efficacy, and
military retention.

Ann H. Hu&man, Satoris S. Culbertson, & Carl
A. Castro $2008% conducted a study that
examined the impact of the perceptions of 230
U.S. Army soldiers as it relates to the militarys
attempt to promote a family!friendly
environment. They reviewed how soldiers
perceptions relate to physical tness, self!
e#cacy, and their intent to remain in the
military. E&orts have been made by the military
to promote a family!friendly culture that
provides soldiers with the support and exibility
they need to successfully sustain the balance
between work and family. The question posed by
the study is, To what extent are these family!
friendly policies successful at bu&ering the
negative e&ects of the work!life conict?
Family!friendly policies theoretically are
thought to increase productivity, job
satisfaction, and overall commitment to the
organization. The outcomes of family!friendly
policies that should help to prevent work!life
conict can di&er across the military spectrum.
These di&erences in the implementation of of
these policies creates variations that can
impact important factors that are important to
the military system.
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Summer 2014
Hu&man et al. $2008% noted how the
perceptions of military!family!friendly policies
can vary due to the di&erences in how these
policies are implemented across units by unit
leaders. Soldiers from various levels and
divisions of the military organization can have
positive or negative perceptions of the military
as a whole based on their
experience of receiving
family!friendly support.
Family!Friendly Support
includes on!site educational
classes, support groups for
family members, on!site day
care centers, youth services, and family!friendly
leave policies. Hu&man et al. $2008% proposed
that soldiers perceptions of their unit
supporting a family!friendly
environment may ensure their ability
to behave in ways that would benet
the military and themselves. These
perceptions would impact physical
training scores, e#cacy beliefs, and
intentions to remain in the military.
Since physical tness directly impacts a soldiers
combat readiness $Army Field Manual 21!20%, it
is a mission essential factor of consideration in
the outcome of the Army organization. The life
of a soldier incorporates physical tness through
training, testing, and evaluations to ensure that
they are mission ready. Results from Hu&man et
al. $2008% indicated that soldiers perceptions of
the unit family!friendly policies were positively
related to individual physical training scores.
Soldiers who experienced work!life conict and
had an increase in their perception of their units
family!friendly policies, their physical tness
performance also increased.
E#cacy beliefs are also thought to be correlated
with the soldiers perception of their unit
providing a family!friendly environment. Self!
e#cacy involves the individuals perception of
their ability to accomplish or implement those
behaviors that are necessary to perform specic
tasks. Collective self!e#cacy involves the
perception of a group or organization having the
ability to successfully accomplish a goal or task.
Both are essential to the military organization
because the individuals perception of their
likelihood for success in their unit or the military
organization could impact their ability to
participate in the successful accomplishment of a
mission. Hu&man et al. $2008% reported that
their results suggest that individuals, who were
allowed to perform necessary behaviors related to
handling their work!life conict,
had more condence in their
ability to successfully accomplish
goals related to their role in their
units future group performance.
Positive or negative perceptions of
a unit or military organization family!friendly
policies were found to have a relationship in the
soldiers intent to remain in the military. Civilian
organizational researchers found that individuals
are less likely to have a desire to leave an
organization that they perceive to be fair and
exible when they need to manage their work!life
conict. Hu&man et al. $2008% found that those
soldiers who experienced a signicant amount of
conict in managing work and their personal
lives and had a negative perception of their units
family!friendly policies, were likely not to remain
in the military.


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Summer 2014
The concluding overall implications of the research ndings demonstrated that although there are a
number of military sanctioned programs promoting family!friendly policies, they are not su#cient in
promoting a family!friendly environment in the military community. Hu&man et al. $2008% noted
that senior leadership responsibly established policies that encourages family!friendly programs,
however, local leadership must foster and support the policy to create a family!friendly culture.
These researchers conclude that their results further support evidence that has been established in
the civilian environment. Organizational leaders benet when they work with their employees to
decrease the amount of conict experienced between work and their personal lives.
Commentary
I am a military spouse and I support my husband in accomplishing mission directives, but I sometimes feel that
the military doesnt support our family and our ability to accomplish our own family missions. ! S. B., Texas
The military environment has been good for our family because it provides the structure and support that we
need as we support a cause that we believe in. ! A.R, New York
No organization is perfect. We have to be balanced in the way we look at the military and know that there is
good and bad in everything. We gain nothing by being problem$oriented, focusing on the negative. We gain so
much more when we are solution$oriented; focusing on ways to promote positive change 'om within the
organization. $ D.B., Maryland
I am happy to know that researchers are seeking ways to improve the quality of life for military families by
discussing the important issues that impacts the soldier, the military spouse, and our children. It is a relief to know
that I am not alone in the way I feel as a spouse and that researchers are providing information that wi! help
leaders to understand the importance of promoting family$'iendly environments. Whats the sense of my
husbands commander saying he promotes family$'iendly policies when my husbands sergeant fails to fo!ow this
example? ! R. R., Puerto Rico

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Summer 2014
If you would like more information on the research presented or if you would like to
provide commentary on the topics discussed, please submit your requests to:
info@ars!mhrcs.com

10 Academic Research Solutions
References:
Devoe, E.R. & Ross, A.R. "2012#. The parenting cycle of deployment. Military
Medicine, 177"2#, 184!190

Hu$man, A.H., Culbertson, S.S., & Castro, C.A."2008#. Family!friendly
environments and U.S. army soldier performance and work outcomes.
Military Psychology, 20, 253!270. DOI: 10.1080/8995600802345162

Lagrone, D.M. "1978#. The military family syndrome. American Journal of
Psychiatry, 135"9#, 1040!1043.

Lester, P., Peterson, K., Reeves, J., Knauss, L., Glover, D., Mogil, C., et al. "2010#.
The long war and parental combat deployment: E$ects on military children
and at!home spouses.

Palmer, C. "2008#. A theory of risk and resilience factors in military families.
Military psychology, 20, 205!217. DOI: 10. 1080/08995600802118858
Summer 2014
11 Academic Research Solutions
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