Cozza Stephen J, Fisher Joscelyn E, Zhou Jing, Harrington-LaMorie Jill, La Flair Lareina, Fullerton Carol S, Ursano Robert J
Center for the Study of Traumatic Stress, Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, 4301 Jones Bridge Road, Bethesda, MD 20814.
Mil Med. 2017 Mar;182(3):e1684-e1690. doi: 10.7205/MILMED-D-16-00101.
U.S. military service members die from a variety of causes (i.e., accidents, combat, illnesses, homicide, suicide, and terrorism) while on duty and in greater numbers during times of war, leaving behind bereaved dependent family members. Identifying characteristics of these dependent families improves our understanding of their unique needs, helps educate service providers who offer assistance to these surviving family members, and better informs policy addressing their health and well-being. This study describes deceased U.S. military service members (DSMs) who died on active duty between September 11, 2001 and September 11, 2011 and their surviving dependent spouses and children.
Characteristics of DSMs (service branch, rank, and cause of death) and characteristics of spouse-with-children and spouse-only families (ages of dependents, time since loss, and distance from a military installation) were examined.
15,938 DSMs died from a variety of causes (e.g., accidents, combat, and illnesses). 55% of DSMs had dependent spouses and 56% of those spouses had children. Most surviving dependent spouses and children were young (mean ages = 32.8, 10.3 years; SD = 9.3, 7.3 years, respectively) at the time of DSM death. Many of these young dependents were related to a DSM who experienced a sudden and violent death. 60% of spouse-with-children families and 58% of spouse-only families lived farther than 60 miles from a military installation. Time since loss (range = 1.3-11.3 years) did not predict distance to installation.
Findings characterize surviving spouses and their children, suggest potential risk for problematic grief outcomes, and underscore the importance of educating service providers about how to support military survivor family health and resilience.
美国军人在服役期间会因各种原因（如事故、战斗、疾病、凶杀、自杀和恐怖主义）死亡，且在战争时期死亡人数更多，留下了失去亲人的受抚养家庭成员。识别这些受抚养家庭的特征有助于我们了解他们的独特需求，帮助教育为这些幸存家庭成员提供援助的服务提供者，并为解决他们的健康和福祉问题的政策提供更好的信息。本研究描述了2001年9月11日至2011年9月11日期间在现役中死亡的美国军人及其幸存的受抚养配偶和子女。
研究了死亡军人（军种、军衔和死因）的特征以及有子女配偶家庭和只有配偶家庭（受抚养人的年龄、失去亲人后的时间以及与军事设施的距离）的特征。
15938名军人因各种原因（如事故、战斗和疾病）死亡。55%的军人有受抚养配偶，其中56%的配偶有子女。大多数幸存的受抚养配偶和子女在军人死亡时年龄较小（平均年龄分别为32.8岁和10.3岁；标准差分别为9.3岁和7.3岁）。这些年轻的受抚养人中许多与经历突然暴力死亡的军人有关。60%有子女配偶家庭和58%只有配偶家庭居住在距离军事设施60英里以上的地方。失去亲人后的时间（范围为1.3 - 11.3年）并不能预测与军事设施的距离。
研究结果描述了幸存配偶及其子女的特征，表明存在出现复杂悲伤结果的潜在风险，并强调了教育服务提供者如何支持军人幸存家庭的健康和恢复力的重要性。
