The "military family syndrome" revisited: "by the numbers."

Article Abstract:

During the past 20 years there has been increasing concern regarding the mental health of military children. Evidence suggests that there may be a higher incidence of mental illness among these children, but data have not supported this contention to the level to which concerns have been raised. Estimates of the prevalence of mental disorders among children of military personnel have ranged from 1 to 35 percent. This wide variation can partly be attributed to the lack of well-standardized instruments and differences in the military experience based upon rank and location. In an attempt to gather more data, 213 military families were surveyed with regard to the following three questions: do military children exhibit more psychological symptoms than other children, and are their symptoms more likely to be external (conduct disorders) or internal (depression, anxiety); to what extent are military children affected by parent stressors; and, do officers' children differ from enlisted soldiers' children in symptom level? One hundred eighty-three mothers, 166 fathers, 178 children, and 169 teachers completed questionnaires. The average age of the children was about nine years old. Results based on teacher and self-reports (from the children) do not indicate that military children suffer greater mental distress than their nonmilitary peers. However, parental perception of difficulties with the child correlated with mental disorders in the child. This may be more reflective of the effect of parental stressors than stressor in the children. Housing and socioeconomic factors are implicated as well; wives of enlisted men reported more behavioral problems and higher stress in their children compared with officers' families. Overall, no evidence was found for a military family syndrome. (Consumer Summary produced by Reliance Medical Information, Inc.)

Military dependents

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Grandparent deaths and severe maternal reaction in the etiology of adolescent psychopathology

Article Abstract:

Many studies have evaluated factors that contribute to mental illness in adolescents; one category is life events (such as deaths, divorce, or serious illness in the family). The results have been inconsistent, however, and so it is not clear how such events may contribute to adolescent psychiatric problems. Children may be more vulnerable to psychological trauma (leading to mental illness in adolescence) at certain stages of development than at other stages; this issue was studied in 114 adolescents who were inpatients at a private psychiatric hospital. The occurrence of 21 major life events was noted for each adolescent, according to developmental stage (prebirth, infancy, childhood, latency, and adolescence). Of all the life events, it was found that only deaths and socioenvironmental events (such as repeated moving by the family) correlated with psychopathology. More specifically, adolescents who were infants when their grandparents died had a greater degree of mental illness, and the adolescents who were most ill when admitted tended to more often have mothers who reacted severely to the deaths of the grandparents. The results provide evidence that certain negative life events may have an impact that spans several generations. The authors caution that the findings may not apply to other adolescent populations (such as those that are not mentally ill) and that further research is needed to replicate the findings. (Consumer Summary produced by Reliance Medical Information, Inc.)

Social aspects, Death, Mothers, Bereavement, Adolescent psychology

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Psychosis, aggression, and self-destructive behavior in hospitalized adolescents

Article Abstract:

The aggressive and self-destructive behaviors in psychotic and nonpsychotic hospitalized adolescents were analyzed. Each adolescent's social and developmental history was compared to an index of self- and other-directed aggression. The degree of violence and suicide did not differ by gender. Broader definitions of internal and external aggression did not show significant diagnostic differences, but internal and external aggression differed between the sexes. Internal (self-directed) aggression was more prevalent among females, while males displayed higher external aggression. A comparison of these results with results of other studies suggest that social and cultural variables are an important factor in understanding adolescent psychosis and aggression. (Consumer Summary produced by Reliance Medical Information, Inc.)

Analysis, Measurement, Behavior disorders in children, Psychoses, Psychotic disorders

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