Military Parents Overseas Leave Behind Children at Risk of Emotional Problems

Posted on September 15, 2009 in Parenting, Recent Studies

The children of parents who are deployed in one of the United States’ two overseas conflicts have a higher than average risk of suffering from stress and anxiety. A recent study from the Madigan Army Medical Center tried to quantify that risk for the over 2 million children of military personnel whose parents are serving in Iraq and Afghanistan.

The survey looked at 101 families living on base in Fort Lewis, Washington. The children were between 5 and 12 years old and all had parents who had been deployed at least once for 12 months or more.

Results showed that one third of the children were considered high-risk for emotional problems. This is 2.5 times the national average for children in that age range, indicating a serious problem. Symptoms included frequent crying, anxiety, and worrying.

The study reports that the biggest factor in determining how a child will fare when a parent is deployed is the emotional state of the parent left at home. Parents with a developed support system and less stress are more able to provide a stable atmosphere for children. The authors emphasize the importance of military support groups, religious groups, and other social organizations that can help the families cope with the absence and reintroduction of the military parent.