Challenges and Stressors of African American Armed Service Personnel and Their Families

Abstract

African American armed service personnel and their families bear great burden in times of war in their effort to protect and secure the nation's civil liberties and freedoms. Paradoxically, they have benefited from a system that is arguably more open and inclusive than American civilian society, but at the same time many have suffered hardship and tragedy resulting in ongoing concerns, challenges, and complications. Military families also experience unique and ongoing stressors that place them at risk of marital, familial, and communal distress. To address this overwhelmed cohort's needs, an empirically based justice model is proffered to direct clinical and community change.

Key Words:

• African American
• armed service
• justice-based model
• military families
• stressors