The Los Angeles Times (7/24, Zarembo) reports in “Science Now” that according to a study published online July 23 in JAMA Psychiatry, “in America’s all-volunteer military, men who enlist are about twice as likely to have had troubled childhoods.”
The AP (7/24) reports that included in the study were “nearly 10,000 current and former service members,” the majority of whom were men, as well as some 51,000 civilians. The study indicated that the “disparities were most striking among men during the volunteer era: More than 25 percent had experienced at least four childhood traumas, versus about 13 percent of civilian men.”
The Stars And Stripes (DC) (7/24, Vandiver) reports that the study findings “suggest that the military could serve as a refuge for those seeking to escape troubled home lives.” In addition, the study, “which was a secondary analysis of data from a 2010 Centers for Disease Control and Prevention survey,” may “provide the military with added insight into its struggle to curb suicide in the ranks, as people who have experienced severe childhood abuse are at a higher risk of attempting suicide.”
Related Links:
— “Study: Men with troubled childhoods may seek refuge in the military,” , Los Angeles Times, July 23, 2014.