Assignment 2: Literature Review and Outline

This assignment will be submitted to Turnitin™. Instructions Assignment 2: Literature Review and Outline Due: Sunday of Week 5 by 11:59 p.m. ET - (Due August 4th at 11:59PM EST) Purpose: The purpose of this assignment is for you to provide information from current publications about your research topic. You will also state your research question/provide a thesis and include an outline for your upcoming final project. Directions: This week we focus on a review of the sources you have found for your Final Project. The purpose is to provide information on current publications about a particular topic. Literature reviews are highly condensed and heavily documented. Begin with stating your research question or thesis, also summarizing your selected topic. Next, summarize 5+ peer-reviewed articles you've found so far for the final project, applying your sociological understanding of the literature on the background about your topic. The literature review will become part of your final project. The literature review should be 3+ pages. Also include an outline of how you plan to construct your final project. Outline should be 1+ pages. Please see the weekly lesson under Content for additional information about constructing a literature review. General requirements: Submissions should be typed, double-spaced, 1" margins, times new roman 12 pt font, and saved as .doc, .docx, .pdf. View the grading rubric so you understand how you will be assessed on this Assignment. Disclaimer- Originality of attachments will be verified by Turnitin. Both you and your instructor will receive the results. This course has "Resubmission" status enabled to help you if you realized you submitted an incorrect or blank file, or if you need to submit multiple documents as part of your Assignment. Resubmission of an Assignment after it is grades, to attempt a better grade, is not permitted. Due on Aug 4, 2024 11:59 PM This assignment is based off the previous assignment that you already completed for me. I will post the assignment and details below and as an attachment along with the grade rubric. Please let me know if you have any questions. Assignment: Topic: The Impact of Growing Up in Military Families on Children's Well-being. Children who are brought up in military families have exclusive involvements than their civilian peers. They often move regularly, spend a lot of time without their parents throughout placement and training times, and get unintended exposure to war, conflict and fierceness, mostly at a young age. Such events have devastating effects on military children's development and mental health. For instance, in the U.S., children of military families experience unique challenges that impact their daily lives. They encounter frequent relocations, parental deployment, and other stressors affecting their development and safety. This research proposal aims to examine how the demographics of military families have changed over time. By exploring such aspects, we can better comprehend the specific requirements of military children and develop operative policies and support systems to improve their safety. Background Military families have encountered their fair portion of changes and evolutions through history while familiarizing themselves with the endless changes in society and technology. Where when the Army was isolated, influential leaders such as retired “Maj. Gen. Vance Coleman, a former commanding general for the 84th Training Command,” advocated tirelessly for “diversity, equal rights and the desegregation of the military” (Schaeffer, 2023). Historically, such families were predominantly white, with traditional gender roles where men served in the military and women managed the household. Moreover, before 1940, the decennial survey had been mainly stressed on detecting how and where veterans aided and therefore counted men as veterans only if they met specific circumstances. However, today’s military families are increasingly diverse, with rising numbers of female service members and greater racial and ethnic representations (Jiang et al., 2022). The number and ages of military children, as well as the educational levels and employment positions of military parents, have also grown. Reports show that the framework of military services is dramatically diverse today compared to what it was when the “all-volunteer force was designed (Clever & Segal, 2013). The force today progressively serves in varied missions, such as combat, intermediation, adversity relief, public health and philanthropic efforts, and homeland security. Various missions, including those that comprise technology or lasting meeting with local people out of the country, demand proficient information and progressive aids that take years to advance (Clever & Segal, 2013). Today's military prepare for and lead assignments not just only in the air, on the land, and the sea but also over space and Internet. Distinct from the Cold War times, nowadays, the force is engrossed not on a solitary main opponent but on lasting risks from state and non-state actors around the world (McIntosh et al., 2023). Geographically, military families fail to inevitably live close to their colleagues and their families or installation-based support services. They however live across societies that are more physically disseminated, instead of being concerted in explicit neighbourhoods, as the active constituent has moved from living mainly on military connections to living mainly off-installation. Some families reside in places with larger concentration than the normal number of military and veteran families. Such a demographic shift necessitates a revaluation of the involvements and challenges faced by military families. Frequent relocations and parental deployments remain substantial stressors, affecting children’s constancy and permanency in education and social associations. Comprehending such dynamic from a sociological insight, using models such as Bronfenbrenner's Ecological Systems Theory and Symbolic Interactionism, can offer deeper insights into how military children navigate their exclusive circumstances (McIntosh et al., 2023). Such models help contextualize the connection between individual understandings and larger social structures, highlighting the significance of supportive settings and meaningful communications in children’s development. Statement of the Problem, Importance of Study, and Purpose of the Study The primary social issue addressed in this paper is the exclusive set of challenges experienced by military families, especially their children. Reports show that military children encounter disruptions in their social life, education, and emotional state because of the frequent relocations and prolonged absences of a parent (Clever & Segal, 2013). Such challenges can result in different outcomes, both positive and negative, based on the support systems accessible and the people resilience of the children. For instance, a study by Opie et al. (2024) reveals that positive impacts of children living with deployed parents include improved child resilience, the establishment of a helpful role model, and financial security. Research also displays that children of all ages encounter more emotional and behavioural difficulties when their parents embark on a mission (Godier-McBard et al., 2021). For instance, younger children tend to display behavioural complications and attachment problems throughout the placement and the reintegration period. Such problems include wetting, trouble sleeping, excessive clinginess, bad dreams, and trouble trusting the deployed parent or respecting their authority. Older children and teenagers living in homes with deployed parent demonstrates negative behaviours, such as anxiety and depression, reduced grades in school, suicidal thoughts, aggressive behaviours, and substance use. Such complications might be associated with the lack of the deployed parent and the mental health of the other parent in the family (Jiang et al., 2022). Partners of those on a mission display more pressure and depression and an augmented use of mental health services and medicines. Since military families often move, the trauma on the remaining partner might be complex, especially when they are living far from family and a support system. Such a case also affects children because their safety is tied to their parent's health and well-being. It is not a disbelief that children might be adversely obstructed by a parent's placement, both by the nonappearance of one parent and the mental health complications it takes on the other. Understanding such problems is important for different reasons. For instance, children represent a great and growing segment of the U.S. population. Therefore, their safety directly affects the wider social fabric of the nation. The insights gained from studying military families can inform policies and programs aimed at supporting not just military children but also other children facing related disruptions, including those in foster care with parents in transient occupations (Opie et al., 2024). The evidence from this study will be useful to inform prevention and interventions of the risk factors and mental health problems faced by children with deployed families. Studying militaries can also contribute to the broader discourse on child development, highlighting the significance of stability, support, and adaptability in nurturing positive outcomes. The purpose of this paper is to broadly inspect the evolving demographics of military families and how such changes influence the experiences and outcomes of military children. By addressing the research questions below, this exploration aims to uncover the nuanced impacts of military life on children and identify effective interventions and support systems. Research questions 1. How have the demographics of military families changed over time, and what trends are likely to continue in the future? 2. How do regular relocations and parental deployments impact the psychological well-being of military children? 3. In what ways do the experiences of military children vary based on factors such as their age, race/ethnicity, and the specific circumstances of their parent's service? 4. What are the long-term effects of growing up in a military family on children's educational, career, and relational outcomes? 5. What support systems and interventions are most effective in mitigating the challenges confronted by military children? What is the Social Problem or Topic? Why Should We as a Society Study This Issue? The social problem at the heart of this study comprises the influence of military life on children’s growth and well-being. Reports show that across the childhood developmental spectrum, military adolescence seem to be at the highest risk of adversative outcomes, such as depressive symptoms, suicidal ideation and attempts, and eating-related concerns (Opie et al., 2024). Moreover, military youth also encounter more adverse childhood experiences, which most likely contribute to such adverse socioemotional presentations. Military pre-schoolers also conveyed to have advanced anxiety symptoms compared to community customs (Clever & Segal, 2013). Such stressors tend to disrupt their educational continuity, social relationships, and emotional constancy, resulting in both instant and lasting challenges. Studying this issue is essential for several reasons. For instance, understanding the specific needs of military children can help create targeted interventions and support systems that alleviate the adverse effects of military life (Clever & Segal, 2013). Such issues comprise educational support, mental health services, and plans that support social incorporation and resilience. Furthermore, insights received from this survey can apprise larger social policies destined to support children in diverse challenging situations, inspiring a more wide-ranging and supportive society (Opie et al., 2023). By emphasizing the connection of military families, we can foster better societal understanding and appreciation for their sacrifices. This might lead to improved public support for guidelines and programs that benefit military families, refining their quality of life and contributing to the overall safety of the state. In summary, this proposal highlights the need to study military families, realizing their exclusive challenges and dynamic forces and how they affect their children. Several resources have explored how military families have proceeded since the beginning of the all-volunteer force in the 1970s. Today, marriage, parenting, social life, and family life of U.S. military service advocates have progressed significantly. Research have displayed that such development has seen military families facing exclusive challenges, encompassing recurrent allocations and placements (Opie et al., 2024). Additionally, the families are wide-ranging in terms of the ages of children, ethnic and racial structures, and academic and occupational statuses of parents. Such assortment has instigated considerable challenges for military children who face psychological and behavioural complications. Therefore, understanding the participations and needs of military children grows to be a vital element of the study. The results might be exploited to advance operative support structures and guidelines that improves their wellbeing and that of the general public. This work aims to deliver comprehensive insight of the evolving demographics of military families, the varied problems faced by military children, and the lasting effects of being raised in such families. By addressing such inquiries, we can contribute to the development of a more inclusive and supportive society that respect the involvement of military families.   References Clever, M., & Segal, D. R. (2013). The demographics of military children and families. The future of children, 13-39. Godier-McBard, L., Wood, A., & Fossey, M. (2021). The Impact of Service Life on the Military Child: The Overlooked Casualties of Conflict–Update and Review Report. Jiang, H., Dowling, R., Hameed, M., Painter, F., Vuong, A., Booth, A., ... & McIntosh, J. (2022). Comparison of social and economic stress in military and civilian families: a rapid review of the evidence. https://doi(dot)org/10.4236/jss.2022.1011022 McIntosh, J., Painter, F., Opie, J., Hameed, M., Vuong, A., Dowling, R., ... & Booth, A. (2023). Family cohesion and relationship quality in defence force families: Rapid review. https://doi(dot)org/10.4236/jss.2023.113005 Opie, J. E., Hameed, M., Vuong, A., Painter, F., Booth, A. T., Jiang, H., ... & McIntosh, J. E. (2024). Children’s Social, Emotional, and Behavioral Outcomes in Military Families: A Rapid Review. Journal of Child and Family Studies, 1-19. Opie, J., Hooker, L., Gibson, T., & McIntosh, J. (2023). My Early Relational Trust-Informed Learning (MERTIL) for Parents: A study protocol for a brief, universal, online, preventative parenting program to enhance relational health. PloS one, 18(3), e0272101. https://doi(dot)org/10.1371/journal.pone.0272101 Schaeffer, K. (2023). The changing face of America’s veteran population. Pew Research Center. https://www(dot)pewresearch(dot)org/short-reads/2023/11/08/the-changing-face-of-americas-veteran-population/