The effects of military-induced separation on family factors and child behavior.

Data from 61 mothers of school-age children were examined before, during, and after military deployment of their husbands. Separations resulted in temporary disruptions in families' reported ability to maintain supportive relationships. Wives of servicemen sent to the Persian Gulf War reported less nurturance and family cohesiveness, and more internalizing and externalizing in children than did those whose husbands' deployment was routine.