Center for Health Equity Research and Promotion
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The study found fewer differences of negative childhood events among women who served in the military and women who did not serve during both the draft era and the post-draft era.
Disparities in Adverse Childhood Experiences Among People With Military Experience
A study published in JAMA Psychiatry on July 23, 2014 finds that men who joined the military in the post-draft era (after 1973) are more likely to report that they experienced a variety of potentially traumatic childhood events than men in the general population. However, there was little difference in potentially traumatic childhood events among men in the draft era.
John R. Blosnich, a researcher with the Center for Health Equity Research and Promotion (CHERP) in the VA Pittsburgh Healthcare System, was the lead author of the paper. Melissa Dichter, a researcher at CHERP’s Philadelphia site, collaborated with Blosnich on the study and the article. Another VA researcher, Robert Bossarte, Director of the Epidemiology Program of the Post-deployment Health Group in the VA Office of Public Health, served as senior author.
The study analyzed data from more than 60,000 respondents to a 2010 Centers for Disease Control and Prevention survey. The study found fewer differences of negative childhood events among women who served in the military and women who did not serve during both the draft era and the post-draft era.
While CDC studies have linked adverse childhood experiences a variety of poor health outcomes in adulthood, the study’s authors note that associations between potentially traumatic childhood experiences and adverse health outcomes have not been definitively established in military populations. The authors suggest that further research is warranted into the implications of potentially traumatic childhood events for male service members who served in the post-draft era.
For the full article, go to JAMA Psychiatry http://archpsyc.jamanetwork.com/article.aspx?articleid=1890091
Media articles about the study include:
Childhood Traumas More Common in Military Members
Study: Military a Refuge for Those Exposed to Childhood Abuse
Troubled Childhoods May Prompt Men to Volunteer For Military Service
Military Service And Troubled Childhood: People In The Military Are More Likely To Have Had Adverse Experiences As Children
