This study determined the perception by 951 U.S. Army soldiers of positive and negative consequences of a peacekeeping deployment to Bosnia. Seventy-seven percent reported some positive consequences, 63% reported a negative consequence, and 47% reported both. Written comments were also provided. Of the 951 soldiers, 478 wrote at least one positive comment and 403 at least one negative comment. Single soldiers were more likely than married soldiers to report positive consequences (82% vs. 72%). Married soldiers were more likely than single soldiers to report negative consequences (70% vs. 55%). Positive consequences included making additional money, self-improvement, and time to think. Negative consequences included the military chain of command, being away from home, and deterioration of marital/significant other relationships.

We present the victim rates and severity of child maltreatment in US Army families by the sex of the child and parent from 1990-2004. Neglect rates decreased from a high point in 1991 to a low in 2000, but by 2004 the rates had increased to about the 1991 level. During two large-scale deployments of the US Army to the Middle East (1991 and 2002-2004), the rates of neglect increased. Neglect rates were highest for the youngest children and decreased as age increased. Physical abuse rates decreased from 1990-2004, but the decline was slowed during 2001-04. Physical abuse was more severe by male offenders.Emotional abuse showed wide fluctuations in rates. Emotional abuse rates were similar for boys and girls up to age 11, but the rates for older girls were higher. Sexual abuse had the lowest rates throughout the time of this report, decreasing from about 0.5/1000 to about 0.1/1000. The rates of physical abuse and neglect were generally higher for boys than for girls up to the teenage years when the rates reversed. Male offenders were more likely to maltreat children (even excluding sexual abuse) than were female offenders and offenders of both sexes were more likely to abuse male children. We provide suggestions for practice, prevention and research in child maltreatment. Published in

Little is known about the similarities and differences between civilian and military child maltreatment cases and no recent study has compared them directly. Understanding the nature of the problems in each could lead to identifying strengths and weaknesses for the development of more helpful prevention and treatment programs. The overall rates of child maltreatment in the U.S. civilian population (14.7 to 11.8 per 1,000) were about double the Army rates (7.6 to 6.0 per 1,000) from 1995 to 1999. These differences were largely because of the higher rate of neglect in the U.S. data--about three times that of the Army--and may be because of factors that are largely controlled in the Army such as poverty, severe substance abuse, homelessness, and other social variables. For 1999 only, we examined the type of maltreatment by age and sex, the victim rates by race/ethnicity, and the relationship of perpetrator to victim.

The pattern and severity of substantiated mutual and nonmutual spouse abuse between U.S. Army enlisted personnel and their spouses was determined for 1998 to 2002. The number of nonmutual and mutual abuse victims was equal in 1998, but by 2002 there were about twice as many non mutual as mutual victims. The rate per thousand of mutual abuse decreased by 58% while that of nonmutual abuse decreased by 13%. The rate per thousand of female victims was always greater than male victims for non-mutual abuse and the severity of abuse of female victims was always more severe than male victims. The active duty female had the highest risk of becoming a victim. These patterns of mutual and nonmutual domestic abuse in the U.S. Army suggest that prevention and educational approaches could be developed that would be useful to prevention specialists and to clinicians as the Army pursues avenues to reduce domestic violence.

The association between alcohol use and substantiated incidents of nonmutual and mutual domestic violence between U.S. Army enlisted soldiers and their spouses was examined for the period 1998-2004. Maltreatment was always more severe in nonmutual incidents. Female victims experienced more severe maltreatment than males. Male offenders and victims were more likely to be drinking than females. For victims of both sexes, severity was greater when offenders were drinking. Older males were more likely to be offenders in nonmutual incidents. White males were more likely than Black or Hispanic males to be offenders in nonmutual incidents. There is a need for both domestic violence and alcohol treatment programs to focus on the increased risk of abuse when alcohol is involved.