RAND ReseARch AReAs ChiLDREN AND FAMiLiES EDUCAtiON AND thE ARtS ENERgy AND ENviRONMENt hEALth AND hEALth CARE iNFRAStRUCtURE AND tRANSPORtAtiON iNtERNAtiONAL AFFAiRS LAW AND BUSiNESS NAtiONAL SECURity POPULAtiON AND AgiNg PUBLiC SAFEty SCiENCE AND tEChNOLOgy tERRORiSM AND hOMELAND SECURity

T he mental and emotional challenges facing U.S. servicemembers deployed for the conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan have been well documented (see, for example, Invisible Wounds of War, http://www.rand.org/pubs/monographs/ MG720/). However, evidence suggests that military families have also been affected, particularly by the strain of multiple and prolonged deployments. Yet relatively little is known about the effects of deployment on the emotional well-being of military families. To begin addressing these knowledge gaps, a RAND team conducted a longitudinal study focused on a sample of youth from military families and their caregivers. The research is among the first to explore how these groups are faring during an extended period of wartime. The study population was drawn from applicants to Operation Purple®, a free summer camp for children from military families sponsored by the National Military Family Association. An initial sample of 1,507 youths ages 11–17 from the Operation Purple® applicant pool, as well as the nondeployed caregiver for each youth, was randomly selected in proportions that approximately reflected the service and component composition of deploying personnel using the most current data at the time (November 2007). The study surveyed one youth per family and his or her caregiver by phone at three points over one year: baseline in the summer of 2008, six months later in the winter of 2009, and then at one year in the summer of 2009. A total of 1,127 youthcaregiver pairs completed at least the baseline and 12-month follow-up survey. The study addressed three central questions: • How are youth from military families who applied to Operation Purple® camp functioning emotionally, socially, and academically? • What challenges, if any, do these youth report during and after parental deployment? Key findings: