Significant domestic alterations can lead to emotional problems for children

By Staff Writer

Children of parents who are deployed by the military are more likely to develop emotional issues, a recent study reveals.

According to the Rapid City Journal, researchers for the publication Pediatrics found that families that experience military deployment see higher anxiety levels in their kids. Other problems that children face are insomnia, increased stress and poor academic performance.

In 2006, 1.17 million children had parents in the active duty military, and more than 7 million had parents in the National Guard or military reserves. Lt. Col. Harvey Fitzgerald, chief of the Soldier and Family Support Services at Camp Rapid, told the news source that some soldiers have been deployed on four different occasions.

There are other factors that can contribute to separation anxiety in children. According to a recent study reported by Ama-Assn.org, more than one-third of the kids displaced from their homes by Hurricane Katrina are still experiencing severe emotional problems.

The study, which tracked over 280 children who were forced to move because of Katrina, says that they are five times more likely than the national average to have a "serious emotional disturbance" that is similar to post-traumatic stress disorder.