There is a group of people who are all too often left out of the discussion of wellbeing issues – because they are usually away from home. Military veterans are well known to experience crippling mental health issues on their return from war, but are often relegated to the sidelines of society. One only needs to look at the prison and homeless population of war veterans to know that their job role rarely contributes to an overall quality of life for them. They are all too often the uneducated and disempowered of society, who believe that the army can offer career success and financial security for their families.
However, recent research indicates that military careers can actually do great harm to the families of soldiers, most especially in terms of child development. The RAND Corporation study examined the wellbeing of 1,500 children from military families and found that one third experienced symptoms of anxiety. Such symptoms were particularly prevalent among younger teenagers, whereas older teenagers were more likely to ‘act out’ and exhibit their anxiety in the form of more serious behavioural problems. The level of emotional problems experienced by these military children is exceedingly high, and adds to the already significant set of problems within military marriages, including infidelity and substance abuse.
The American-led invasions of Iraq and Afghanistan have led to a simmering and constant level of stress among the military community, due to the prospect of repeat deployment. The US army’s own figures show a suicide rate among personnel of over 100 per year throughout the last twelve years of war. Colonel Platoni of the US army acknowledges that repeat deployments and the interruption of mental health therapy are the main causes of these statistics. It is imperative that the mental wellness of our soldiers and their familes becomes a major concern of every health organisation. We must do what we can to reduce the number of war victims in this age of conflict.
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