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Kids with deployed parents suffer from depression, anxiety

By Staff Writer

Many studies have been conducted on the negative effects of deployment on soldiers, but new research is emerging that shows that children face consequences as well.

Andrew Leckel, 8, is one example of a child who is showing signs of depression and anxiety as a result of his father being deployed to Iraq, according to the Wisconsin State Journal. His mother, Heidi, told the news source that many school administrators, parents even neighbors lack the understanding necessary to accommodate children like Andrew. Individuals typically fail to recognize that kids of soldiers have to cope with not having their parents for months at a time and face the fact that they may not return home alive.

Leckel is one of 14,500 children in Wisconsin who has a parent serving abroad, and his depressive symptoms are not uncommon among this group. Kids of deployed soldiers typically suffer from anxiety and poor school performance. Older children may exhibit behavioral issues and turn to drugs to cope with the issue.

Approximately 8 percent of individuals age 12 and older admitted to using an illicit substance within a 30-day period in 2008, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Drug rehab programs can help adolescents who are struggling with substance abuse and counseling may be beneficial for younger children with deployed parents.

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