Children from military families may experience higher levels of stress and more emotional difficulties than the general population, according to the largest study to examine the health and well-being of children from the perspective of children and non-deployed parents. The study, “Children on the Homefront: the Experience of Children From Military Families,” published in the January issue of Pediatrics (appearing online December 7), interviewed 1,500 children, ages 11 to 17 years, and non-deployed parents/caregivers to examine how children from military families manage social, academic and behavioral challenges. Older children reported significantly more family, school and peer-related difficulties during parental deployment and girls of all ages experienced more challenges when the deployed parent returned home. Caregivers reported that the longer a parent was deployed in the last three years, the greater the emotional difficulties children experienced when the deployed parent returned home. In addition, parents/caregivers with poorer mental health reported having more difficulties with children both during and after deployment, suggesting that military families can benefit from seeking support to deal with stressors that may emerge over time.

The American Academy of Pediatrics is an organization of 60,000 primary care pediatricians, pediatric medical subspecialists and pediatric surgical specialists dedicated to the health, safety and well-being of infants, children, adolescents and young adults. For more information, visit www.aap.org.