Violence more common among kids of combat veterans

[The Straight Story]

ATLANTA (AP) -- A new study suggests that when parents are deployed in the military, their children are more than twice as likely to carry a weapon, join a gang or be involved in fights.

And that includes the daughters.

"This study raises serious concerns about an under-recognized consequence of war," said Sarah Reed, who led the research of military families in Washington state.

Last year, nearly 2 million U.S. children had at least one parent serving in the military. Deployment can hurt a family in a variety of ways. There's stress while that parent is overseas and in danger, as the remaining parent has to shoulder all responsibilities and family roles shift. There can also be challenges after deployed parents' return, especially if they were physically or psychologically damaged.

The effect of military deployment on kids is an emerging field of research. The new study is considered the first of its kind to focus on those affected by deployments to Afghanistan and Iraq. It's unique in that it looked at a statewide swath of the population in comparing the behavior of kids in military families to children in non-military families.


http://ap.stripes.com/dynamic/stories/U/US_MED_COMBATS_DAUGHTERS?SITE=DCSAS&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT&CTIME=2011-10-31-06-32-39

[valerief]

1. You mean war breeds warlike behavior? Amazingly obvious! nt