Access to and desire for mental health care, as well as access to health care services after a relocation, is examined through the health care access and quality lens.
The majority of military-connected family respondents (67%) have experienced at least one family building challenge in their lifetime. Over four in 10 active-duty family respondents (42%) report that military service created challenges to having children, specifically the desired number and/or spacing of their children. Family building challenges due to military service are much higher for female active-duty service members than their male peers (57% vs. 28%). More than half (54%) of LGBTQ+ active-duty family respondents also report family building challenges due to military service.
Spouses are the backbone of military families. For many, the nature of military service can mean the service member is unavailable to support household labor or family obligations, often leaving the military spouse solely responsible for maintaining day-to-day household obligations and family needs, which can impact their physical and mental well-being. Fewer than half of active-duty spouse respondents (42%) agree that their health is excellent, and those who were separated from their service members report higher mean stress scores than those who were not. While two-thirds of active-duty spouse respondents (67%) report they do not have a current mental health diagnosis, 25% report a current diagnosis of generalized anxiety disorder (GAD), which is higher than the estimated levels for the U.S. population.
Most active-duty family respondents to the 2021 MFLS report their children’s mental health is “good” or “excellent,” but a notable proportion (43%) rate at least one child’s mental health as “fair,” “poor,” or “very poor.” Older children may be experiencing greater challenges than their younger peers; 41% of active-duty family respondents rate their adolescent oldest child’s mental health as “fair,” “poor,” or “very poor.” In addition to the challenges presented to their civilian peers across the world as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, including shifts to and from virtual or hybrid education modality, military children also experience multiple challenging factors due to the military lifestyle, such as separations from the service member. Seventeen percent of active-duty family respondents report they would like their child to receive mental health care, but they currently do not. Roughly one in five (21%) report their child does not receive mental health care due to concerns about a mental health diagnosis preventing future military service.
Comments