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The Views, Perceptions, and Understandings of Military Children in Relation to Their Family and Social Experiences: A Scoping Review

Year: 2026

Type: article

Abstract: Military children, although a vulnerable population, have received only limited research attention that considers their voices and perspectives, despite their capacity to provide valuable viewpoints from their own direct experiences of life in a military family. This article presents findings from a scoping review of qualitative peer-reviewed literature regarding military children’s views, perceptions, and understandings of their family and social experiences. Searches in 6 databases yielded 922 studies, of which 22 met the inclusion criteria. Three main themes were generated from the findings: negative emotional responses; supportive and unsupportive connections; and loneliness and isolation. Military children had important perspectives on their experiences of military life including deployment, relocations, and parental mental illness. They offer many insights that can be translated into social work policy and practice with military children and their families.

Source: Families in Society The Journal of Contemporary Social Services

DOI: 10.1177/10443894261465934

Authors: John Frederick, Philip Siebler

Institutions: Monash University, University of New England

Language: English

Topic: Education and Military Integration

Subfield: Education

Field: Social Sciences

Domain: Social Sciences

SDG: Good health and well-being

Open Access status: hybrid

Estimated APC paid: $3,650