What is the generational price many veterans pay for their service?

In honor of veterans, here’s an incomplete exposé of the price of war on their children, in particular, major medical and psychological impacts.

These issues stem from factors associated with military life and deployment:

1. Indirect exposure to trauma.

2. Stress.

3. Environmental.

This in no way implies that a parent with physical or psychological challenges inherently cause children harm because of their own conditions.

It’s meant to connect dots and raise awareness of outcomes beyond the veteran themself.

It helps us:

• respond to underacknowledged post service needs,
• more accurately calculate the true cost of war,
• better allocate support resources for military families.

This cursory glance shows what children in families of some military veterans navigate:

— Attachment and relational needscan be disrupted. Attachment patterns, established in the first years of life, unconsciously impact the quality of relationships thereafter.

— Prenatal exposure to toxins (even in a nonveteran spouse) cause birth defects such as spina bífida, cleft palate, and heart defects. They cause autoimmune diseases and cancers.

— Developmental and educationalchallenges are connected to military service.

— Cognitive, speech, and language delays are caused by prenatal toxin exposure.

— Academic and social development problems are caused from family stress and frequent relocation.

— Mental health conditions are more common in children of veterans, especially but not exclusively veterans with their own mental health challenges (PTSD, depression and suicidality, substance abuse).

— Children struggle with anxiety and depression, behavioral disorders (ADHD, oppositional defiant and conduct disorders), suicidal ideation, and difficulty with emotional regulation, especially in high stress situations.

— Children whose parent is managing PTSD or TBI (traumatic brain injury) can develop Secondary Traumatic Stress and experience nightmares, hyper vigilance, and avoidance behaviors.

— Children with a parent with untreated PTSD, substance use disorder, or anger management problems (a frequent TBI symptom) are at higher risk for emotional neglect, physical abuse, and anunstable home environment.

— Children are at risk of early substance use, particularly if a parent has a substance use disorder or there is poor mental health in the home, which is exasperated by financial strain and inadequate support services.

— Children at highest risk of negative psychological impact are those of veterans with PTSD, disabled veterans, and those who died by suicide or in combat.

It’s imperative that as society, we address these secondary outcomes families of veterans are shouldering.

Unless we do more, their service will continue to be carried out over generations.

We can help ameliorate and prevent some of this with a comprehensive analysis of the true cost of war our veterans are paying, generations beyond their service dates.

—Julie 

#SpecialNeedsFamilies
#HiddenCostsOfWar
#Veterans