Military study finds aggressive behavior in preschoolers who have a parent at war
Iraq and the war on terrorism Measuring stress

BY THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

Published: November 4, 2008

CHICAGO — Preschoolers with a parent away at war were more likely to show aggression than other young children in military families, according to the first published research on how the very young react to wartime deployment.

Hitting, biting and hyperactivity — "the behaviors parents really notice” — were more frequent when a parent was deployed, said lead author Dr. Molinda Chartrand, an active duty pediatrician in the U.S. Air Force.

The study, which was small and included fewer than 200 children, adds to previous evidence of the stress that deployment puts on families.

Families in the study lived on a large, unidentified Marine base in 2007.