Military deployment can make kids at-risk

TACOMA, Wash., Aug. 14 (UPI) -- Thirty-two percent of children of a deployed U.S. military parent scored at "high risk" for psychosocial problems, researchers suggest.

The study, published in the Journal of Developmental & Behavioral Pediatrics, says the finding did not mean the children had psychological problems, but that they were more vulnerable to developing such problems.

The percentage of children at risk was 2.5 times higher than national norms and 42 percent of the at-home spouses scored high-risk levels of parental stress. Children of parents with high stress levels were about seven times more likely to score at high risk for psychosocial problems, the study said.

Parents receiving support from military organizations were less likely to report psychosocial problems in their child. Problems were also less likely for children of college-educated parents, but rank, the child's sex and race/ethnicity were unrelated to the psychological effects of deployment, the study said.

The study, led by Eric Flake of the Madigan Army Medical Center in Tacoma, Wash., analyzed the responses to questionnaires administered to 101 spouses of deployed soldiers. Each spouse provided information on a child ages 5-12.