Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on army families: Household finances, familial experiences, and soldiers' behavioral health

Abstract

The Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has significantly impacted employment and finances, childcare, and behavioral health across the United States. The Behavioral Health Advisory Team assessed the pandemic's impact on the behavioral health of U.S. Army soldiers and their families. Over 20,000 soldiers at three large installation groups headquartered in the northwestern continental U.S., Republic of Korea, and Germany participated in the cross-sectional survey. Multivariable logistic regression models indicated that key demographics (gender, rank), severity of household financial impact, changes in work situation due to childcare issues, and family members' difficulty coping (both self and spouse/partner and/or child) were independently and consistently associated with greater odds of screening positive for probable clinical depression and generalized anxiety, respectively. These findings highlight how Army families were impacted similarly by the pandemic as their civilian counterparts. Army leadership may action these findings with targeted support for soldiers and their families to ensure they are utilizing supportive services available to them, and that military services continually evolve to meet soldier and family needs during times of crisis and beyond.

Keywords: Army soldiers; COVID-19 pandemic; behavioral health; family.