Military Child Abuse and Neglect Jose M. Caraballo University of Louisville MSSW 622 Military children are our nation's children who are living in either military or civilian communities, which include urban, suburban, or rural settings. Military children experience unique challenges related to military life and culture when compared with non-military children. Therefore, some of the related challenges are due to deployment stressors, such as parental separation, family reunion, and reintegration. Due to the frequent moves, many military children experience disrupted relationships with friends, and must adapt to new schools and cultivate new community resources. Some children also experience the trauma of welcoming home a …show more content…
Both departures to, and returns from, combat deployment cause stress in families that can lead to increased rates of child maltreatment. Prior to October 2002, maltreatment rates were slightly higher among non-military families than among military families. Rates of maltreatment in military families far outpaced the rates among non-military families after the U.S. started sending larger numbers of troops to Afghanistan and Iraq in 2003. Among families of enlisted U.S. Army personnel with substantiated reports of child maltreatment (physical, emotional or sexual abuse), rates of maltreatment are greater when the soldiers are on combat-related deployments. In fact, the rate of child maltreatment in families of enlisted Army soldiers was 42 percent higher during combat deployment than during non-deployment. For military personnel with at least one dependent, the rate of child maltreatment increases by approximately 30 percent for every one percent increase in the number of active duty soldiers who depart or return from combat
PBS’ Frontline film “The Wounded Platoon” reviews the effects the Iraq war has had on soldiers as they return home and transition back into civilian life, focusing particularly on the rise in post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) among American military members from Fort Carson Army base (Edge, 2010). Incidents of PTSD have risen dramatically in the military since the beginning of the Iraq war and military mental health policies and treatment procedures have adapted to manage this increase (Edge, 2010). In “The Wounded Platoon,” many military personnel discuss how PTSD, and other mental health struggles, have been inadequately treated (if at all) by military mental health services. Reasons and Perdue’s definition of a social problem allows us to see inadequate treatment of PTSD among returning United States military members as a social problem because it is a condition affecting a significant number of people in undesirable ways that can be remedied through collective action (Reasons & Perdue, 1981).
Not many people in society can empathize with those who have been in a war and have experienced war firsthand. Society is unaware that many individuals are taken away from their families to risk their lives serving in the war. Because of this, families are left to wonder if they will ever get to see their sons and daughters again. In a war, young men are taken away from their loved ones without a promise that they will get to see them again. The survivors come back with frightening memories of their traumatic experiences. Although some would argue that war affects families the most, Tim O’Brien and Kenneth W. Bagby are able to convey the idea that war can negatively impact one’s self by causing this person long lasting emotional damage.
"The Emotional Wounds of War." Military Review Jan. 1992: 54-61. SIRS Researcher. Web. 15 December 2009.
middle of paper ... ... Children within the United States whose parents serve in the military are left to deal with issues of separation and fear. The fear of not knowing when their parents are coming home, and if they’ll come back to the same person they were when they left. Since we are incapable of hiding violence and the act of war from children, it is better to help them understand the meaning behind it and teach them that violence is not always the answer. Children react based on what they see and hear, and if the community and world around them portrays positive things, then the child will portray a positive attitude as well.
Imagine facing the horrors of a war at the young age of 19. In the real world as well as fictional novels, the Vietnam War was considered to be a war unlike any other. Many soldiers faced untold brutal challenges, and often wondered who the enemy truly was. In numerous depicted pieces of literature such as Fallen Angels the fictional stories cannot begin to compare to the real traumatic ones. Research has shown that the traumatic circumstances have caused soldiers mental stress. Research shows the brutality that the soldiers of the Vietnam War went through, the novel Fallen Angels and the video series “Dear America: Letters Home” are very similar in this depiction, but also have slight differences.
When we picture the United States Military we regard men and women in uniform fighting for our country. However, what we do not picture is the hidden problems. Stress of the job, members returning home from war, and combat create an increased stress level that can result in abusing substances and cause behavioral problems. The military has recognized that this has become a problem and is now taking steps to ensure their members safety.
Many children are born into families that are a part of a branch of the military. Parents may wonder if the constant moving and deployment will bring negative effects on a child’s development. The rigorous lifestyle of the military can have negative effects on the children’s development growing up, but the opportunity of living as a military child is a culturally diverse, socially strong, and mature development of characteristics. The military life offers many benefits for raising a child. Have a family in the military lifestyle can greatly help the children’s development of positives characteristics.
Source (Please attach copy of article): Burns, B., Grindlay, K., Holt, K., Manski, R., & Grossman, D. (2014). Military sexual trauma among US servicewomen during deployment: A qualitative study. American Journal of Public Health, 104(2), 345-349. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/1499845673?accountid=12387
...manifest developmental, behavioral, and emotional problems. This implies the interpersonal nature of trauma and may explain the influence of veteran Posttraumatic Stress Disorder on the child’s development and eventual, long-term and long-lasting consequences for the child’s personality. (ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/2525831).
Sexual assault in the military has become one of the most controversial of all issues that have been discussed over the years. The topic has received extensive media coverage and has contributed to multiple media scandals. According to a Newsweek report done in 2011, women are more likely to be assaulted by fellow soldiers than killed in combat. The Department of Defense estimates approximately 19,000 sexual assaults occur per year amongst military personnel. That number is stifling considering that in the last year only 1,108 troops filed for investigation, and of those only 575 cases were processed.
Montgomery, Ann Elizabeth, et al. "Relationship Among Adverse Childhood Experiences, History Of Active Military Service, And Adult Outcomes: Homelessness, Mental Health, And Physical Health." American Journal Of Public Health 103.S2 (2013): S262-S268. Academic Search Premier. Web. 28 Jan. 2014.
Singer, P.W. “Children at War.” Military History 24.6 (2007): 1-5. SIRS Issues Researcher. Web. 14 Feb. 2011.
Conclusion & Discussion Mood disorders may affect anyone at any time, but military service members are at a particularly high risk for developing conditions such as depression and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Therefore, for our major conclusion of this topic it is evident to say that having served in the military is not a contributing factor for depression. However, it can cause the individual to become at “higher risk” for developing the disorder. According to Thomas Insel, director of the National Institute of Mental Health, most soldiers who return from combat in Afghanistan and Iraq—approximately one-fifth of whom will suffer from depression and PTSD—will not seek treatment within the military health care system (Healthline) .“What we are hearing from the VA [Department of Veterans Affairs] is the prediction that most of those people—about 70 percent—will not seek treatment from the Department of Defense or VA, so we are
Kimmel, Carrie E., and Jini L. Roby. "Institutionalized Child Abuse: The Use of Child Soldiers." International Social Work 50 (2007): 740. Sage. Web. 10 Mar. 2014.
Stress is a top health concern for U.S. teens between the ages 14 through 18 years old and stress is also rapidly increasing in the workplace. 75% of adults have reported moderate to high levels of feeling stressed and overwhelmed. Women are twice as likely to develop ASD compared to men, with the exception of military veterans. Men and women do not have a direct difference in the statistics of acquiring acute stress disorder in the military. ASD occurs due to traumatic experiences rather than genetics, therefore anyone and all races are prone to acquiring this. The experiences and events veterans and soldiers undergo are very damaging to their psychological state. This leads to them being the primary developers of Acute Stress Disorder and PTSD. More than 6 million dollars are put towards the treatment and accommodation of war