Family separation from military service and children's externalizing symptoms: Exploring moderation by non-military spouse employment, family financial stress, marital quality, and the parenting alliance

Military separation is a well-documented vulnerability point for service members, yet little is known regarding how children fare across this transition. The current study examined 909 military-connected children from the Millennium Cohort Family Study (Wave 1 Mage = 3.88 years, SD = .095) across a 3-year period to explore whether separation predicted child externalizing symptoms over and above Wave 1 externalizing levels, by comparing separated versus not separated military families over time. We also explored if non-military spouse employment, financial stress, marital quality, or parenting alliance moderated the relation of separation with child externalizing. Data were collected via a parent-reported online questionnaire and administrative military records. Results showed that separation was unrelated to externalizing. However, moderation analyses suggested that for those who separated, non-military spouses' employment prior to separation was related to less externalizing, whereas the parenting alliance was related to less externalizing only for families who remained in the military. Recommendations include assistance with spouse employment prior to military separation and parenting support throughout military service.