Feature Story

May 8, 2007

Stress of Deployment Increases Risk of Child Abuse, Neglect in Military Families

From EurekAlert! - Breaking News:

Rates of abuse and neglect of young children in military families in Texas has doubled since October 2002, a University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill study shows, raising concerns about the impact of deployment on military personnel and their families across the country.

The study, published in the May 15, 2007 issue of the American Journal of Epidemiology, was designed by UNC School of Public Health researchers to measure the impact of the 9/11 terrorist attacks on military and non-military families.

Researchers found that prior to October 2002, rate of abuse and neglect -- called maltreatment -- was slightly higher among non-military families compared to military families.

"Among soldiers with at least one dependent, for every one percent increase in the number of active duty soldiers departing or returning, we saw an approximately 30 percent increase in the rate of substantiated maltreatment cases," Rentz said.

State records showed that the majority of substantiated child abuse and neglect that occurred in military families was perpetrated by a parent, Rentz said.

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