Updated on
Summary Children whose parents are deployed in Afghanistan or Iraq face a higher risk of psychiatric problem
According to a new study children whose parents are deployed in Afghanistan or Iraq face a higher risk of psychiatric problems requiring hospitalization.Researchers tracked over 375,000 children, aged 9 to 17, whose parents were on active duty between 2007 and 2009. There was a 10 percent increased risk of hospitalization among children whose parents were deployed. More attention needs to be paid to the mental health of children of active duty military parents when they are deployed. Length of deployment and number of times a parent has been deployed would likely to have an effect, too. Parents and others who are aware of the risk may better catch mental health problems when they are less serious than those needing hospitalization.
