The Experiences of Families and Children of Ill and Injured Canadian Armed Forces Members: Perspectives from Parents and Service Providers
Abstract: Above and beyond the stressors associated with military life (e.g., deployment), having a parent who is an ill or injured military member can also impact children's health and well-being. Programs that help foster resilience can provide military families the necessary coping skills to face these stressors. The purpose of this study was to examine the experiences and care involved for children and families of ill and injured Canadian Armed Forces members through the perspective of parents and service providers. A total of 14 parents from 11 bases participated in interviews. In addition, 28 service providers from Military Family Resource Centres, which provide resilience-based programs to families, participated in focus groups, an interview, or filled out a questionnaire. This study provides two unique perspectives of children of ill and injured members, with potential use for future studies and educational programs provided by military family services.
Abstract: Disordered eating is a prevalent and relevant health concern that remains understudied among U.S. military veterans. Avoidant/restrictive food intake disorder (ARFID) is a newly recognized feeding and eating disorder characterized by overly restrictive eating due to (a) picky eating, (b) lack of appetite, and (c) fear of aversive consequences related to eating. The Nine-Item ARFID Screen (NIAS) is a recently developed ARFID screening tool with initial validation studies demonstrating psychometric support. However, the psychometric properties of the NIAS have not been investigated in a veteran sample. To advance our understanding of ARFID screening tools that may be appropriate for use in veterans, the present study examined the factor structure of the NIAS using survey data from a large national sample of recently separated veterans (N = 1,486). Measurement invariance across key subgroups was tested in addition to exploring differential associations between the NIAS and related constructs. Results suggested that a three-factor model provided an excellent fit of the data and demonstrated scalar invariance across self-identified men and women, race and ethnicity, and sexual and gender minority (SGM) identity. Some subgroups had higher latent means on the picky eating (women, SGM, non-Hispanic Black), appetite (women, SGM), and fear (women) factors. The NIAS had some overlap with another measure of disordered eating and was moderately correlated with psychosocial impairment and mental health. Overall, the NIAS may be a useful screening tool for ARFID in veterans, given support for the three proposed subscales and equivalence across diverse identities.