| NEWS RELEASE: | |
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THE IRAQ WAR:SIGNIFICANT STRESS RELATED SYMPTOMS ENCOUNTERED BY TEENAGE MILITARY DEPENDENTS | |
| Contact: Frank Treiber,PhD Phone: (706) 721-4534 Email: ftreiber@mail.mcg.edu Embargoed until: March 3, 2004 |
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Operation Iraqi Freedom which officially lasted three months had an unprecedented level of media coverage with combat broadcasted live throughout the conflict to audiences worldwide. Although this military operation was brief and casualties relatively light at the time, the stress imposed on families of military personnel may have been significant. A sample of 146 high school students from similar socioeconomic backgrounds, 93 of whom were military dependents, were evaluated at the onset of the conflict. Findings revealed that teenagers who reported having a parent(s) and/or sibling(s) either on alert status or already deployed reported significantly higher levels of anxiety and stress-related symptoms compared to the civilian teenagers. Such symptoms included loss of sleep, feelings of irritability or anger, disturbing images and thoughts, bad dreams, difficulty concentrating and having physical reactions such as heart pounding and trouble breathing when reminded of the war and its aftermath. Teenagers who reported having a family member deployed exhibited significantly higher blood pressure levels compared to other military dependents and civilian youth. The results of this study conducted by Dr. Frank Treiber and colleagues at the Medical College of Georgia were presented for the first time at the annual meeting of the American Psychosomatic Society held March 3-6 in Orlando, Florida. Dr. Treiber, a clinical psychologist, suggested that, "Although most individuals were likely to have been somewhat affected by the war and its aftermath, military dependents seem especially likely to experience symptoms of stress at a level which might require the increased attention of parents, educators and school counselors and maybe even referral to treatment specialists. Its important for everyone to recognize that not only do the military personnel deployed in Iraq and elsewhere involved in the war on terrorism need our nation's support but their family members do as well." | |
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Psychosomatic Medicine is the official peer-reviewed journal of the American Psychosomatic Society, published bimonthly. For information about the journal, contact Vicki White, Managing Editor for Manuscript Production,
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