The longer the deployment, the greater risk of mental illness
By Ian Birch
An alarming new study shows almost one in five children of troops deployed in Iraq and Afghanistan suffer from mental illnesses. The findings also show that the longer their parent's deployment, the more likely they are to suffer from a mental health difficulty.
The study, by Dr Steven J Cozza, published in the journal Archives of Paediatrics and Adolescent Medicine, analysed the medical records of more than 300,000 children of military personnel in the two combat zones.
Boys were more likely to suffer psychological problems than girls, according to the American study.
"Children of parents who spent more time deployed between 2003 and 2006 fared worse than children whose parents were deployed for a shorter duration," the study's researchers said.
