Abstract

Military life is entirely different from civil life. The lifestyle, frequent moves, lack of stability and deployment to war create additional issues for the family to handle. The effect of war can extend far beyond the deployed service member. The family faces a number of challenges: emotional, social and, even more, day-to-day challenges before, during and after deployment. Children are the soft target of these deployments. If the parent is able to handle the stress successfully, then their children are less likely to have mental health issues or behavior problems. In addition to the stress related to family members, many serving members also face family adjustment issues after deployment. In the literature, cases of suicide and fratricide in the armed forces were reported to be very high. Family problems are a major source of stress, more than the fear of war and PTSD. Most suicides and cases of violence stemmed from marital discord, domestic problems, love affairs, property disputes or heavy debts rather than stress related to insurgency-affected regions. The mental health of the service members and their families becomes essential for the growth and security of the nation. Ultimately, the needs of the entire family are important. Therefore, the current chapter focuses on what these stressors are, how they affect the mental health of the serving member and his/her entire family and the psychotherapeutic approach to dealing with these demanding states.