Mona Ternus, an associate professor at George Mason University, has more than 20 years of experience in health and human services education and professional administration. Lt. Col. Ternus is also a member of the Air Force Reserve Nurse Corps and the commander of the 911th Aeromedical Staging Squadron. She was recently awarded the Federal Nursing Services Award for her study, “Military Women’s Perceptions of the Effect of Deployment on their Role as Mothers and on Adolescents’ Health.”
How did your own experiences color your study?
I’ve deployed several times — I have a strong interest in it. My daughter was 15 [when I left], and at the same time, my husband deployed to Iraq. I didn’t see a whole lot out there for teenagers and single moms. There was certainly a lot to take into account when I was activated.
What were the major findings?
The research took on a life of its own; there were a lot of things I found out that I wasn’t expecting. I didn’t realize there were so many parents who were single moms. Also, 40 percent of the children who remained were not staying with the primary parents.
What were some of the more provocative responses from the women in the survey?
The responses were really different and very varied. Support made a big difference in the health of both the mom and the child. [The research] seemed to indicate that if the parents chose a role model they would be happy with, it would be a better situation for the child.
Can you talk about the experience you’ve had with the conflict between duty to family and duty to country?
I think how dedicated the women were to the mission really stuck out to me. They were really sorry that they were leaving [their families], but they were very committed to doing the work they were doing for the greater good of working toward the preservation of freedom on a global scale, not a local scale.
