Previous research has demonstrated that rates of depressive symptoms in adolescents may be higher in the military community of deployed personnel than in other adolescents. Depression decreases quality of life and increases risk of suicide in adolescents; therefore, it is important to investigate if depressive symptoms are more prominent in military adolescents. The purpose of this quantitative study was to compare depressive symptoms in adolescents with deployed parents and those with non-deployed parents. The hypothesis was that adolescents with a parent deployed would display higher levels of depressive symptoms than adolescents who were not separated from a parent due to military deployment. The theoretical foundation for this study was Bowlby’s attachment theory that postulates the concept that the parent and child bond is essential for healthy functioning. Archival data included 128 military adolescents who completed the Children’s Depression Inventory. An analysis of covariance was utilized to examine covariates, such as age, gender, and race. Although results demonstrated that the covariate variables did not play a significant role in depressive symptoms, adolescents of deployed parents reported significantly higher levels of depressive symptoms. It can be concluded that deployment plays a significant role in depressive symptoms in military adolescents. The positive social change implications are to improve military adolescent’s quality of life by utilizing these research findings to request grants to initiate educational and therapeutic programs for military families. These programs will improve the community by increasing resources available to military children and adolescents who are dealing with parental separation due to military deployment and related subsequent depression.