Child Abuse Rises When a Military Parent Is Deployed

A new study shows that child abuse rises, particularly by mothers, when military spouses are deployed in Iraq or Afghanistan. And I think I understand why.

The Pentagon-funded study found that cases of neglect, abandonment, physical abuse, emotional abuse and sexual abuse rose by about 40 percent when a parent was deployed in families with previously confirmed cases of abuse.

Women were far more likely to mistreat children during their partners' deployment. Researchers say it suggests that fathers whose wives go off to war are able to get help from extended family or elsewhere. As we all know, our culture doesn't really expect men to be able to handle childcare by themselves, while women are often expected to be able to handle the load singlehandedly.

The Associated Press reports that the military will add more than 1,000 additional "family readiness support assistants" to work with stressed-out military parents. The Army also "recently added $8 million to its respite child care program" and increased home visits at bases that have high levels of reported neglect.

I can understand the pressures that build on a parent left alone because I've lived it -- to a much lesser degree. As I've noted, my wife was recently away for a month. Her job requires that she frequently take such trips. And when she goes away, I feel a lot more stress. I'm more tired because I literally go from 5 in the morning to 11 at night with work and family stuff, seven days a week, no breaks. I'm happy to say there's no abuse, but I'm a lot more short-tempered with my four kids, for sure.

And that's in only one month. I can only imagine how stressed and tired parents on their own would be after 18 months or even longer in some cases.

9:33 AM ET | 08- 1-2007 | permalink