Caregiver Health: An Epidemiological Study of Active Duty Parents with Special Needs Children

Abstract

Caregivers of children with Special Healthcare Needs (SHN) are at an elevated risk for adverse health outcomes among the general population; research among military populations is lacking. Records of active duty personnel and children born between 2007 and 2009 were extracted from two military databases. Children with SHN were identified using 3M Clinical Risk Grouping (CRG) software. Active duty personnel were categorized into three parental groups and were followed through 2014 for diagnoses of hypertension, migraines, and sleep disorders. Data analyses included descriptive statistics and logistic regression analyses. The total study population consisted of 1,423,216 active duty personnel, and 10% of parents had a child with SHN. For migraines and sleep disorders, parents of children with SHN showed the highest odds of diagnoses. The odds of hypertension diagnoses were lowest in parents of children without SHN. Effects of parental status also varied by sex. The present study is the first to examine differences in military personnel health outcomes as a function of both parenting status and sex. Findings support continued use and possible expansion of current military programs designed to support families of children with SHN.