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Cited by 281Child Abuse and TraumaMilitary, Security, and Education StudiesChild Welfare and Adoption

Disparities in Adverse Childhood Experiences Among Individuals With a History of Military Service

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Blosnich, John R., Dichter, Melissa E., Cerulli, Catherine, Batten, Sonja V., Bossarte, Robert M.·2014·JAMA Psychiatry
DOI 10.1001/jamapsychiatry.2014.724PMC PMC8981217
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Abstract

IMPORTANCE: Adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) are associated with several adulthood health problems, such as self-directed violence. For some individuals, enlistment in the military may be an instrumental act to escape adverse household environments; however, to our knowledge prevalence of ACEs among persons with a history of military service has not been documented in the United States using population-based data. OBJECTIVE: To compare the prevalence of ACEs among individuals with and without a history of military service. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS: Data are from the 2010 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System. Computer-assisted telephone interviews were conducted with population-based samples of noninstitutionalized US adults from January 1 through December 31, 2010. Analyses were limited to respondents who received the ACE module (n = 60,598). Participants were categorized by history of military service and whether a respondent was 18 years of age in 1973. MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES: History of military service was defined by active duty service, veteran status, or training for the Reserves or National Guard. The ACE inventory assessed 11 negative experiences before the age of 18 years. Weighted χ2 tests and multiple logistic regression analyses were used to examine differences in ACEs by history of military service, era of service, and sex. RESULTS: Those with military experience had greater odds of any difference in prevalence of ACEs. In the all-volunteer era, men with military service had a higher prevalence of ACEs in all 11 categories than men without military service. Notably, in the all-volunteer era, men with military service had twice the odds of reporting forced sex before the age of 18 years (odds ratio, 2.19; 95% CI, 1.34-3.57) compared with men without military service. In the draft era, the only difference among men was household drug use, in which men with a history of military service had a significantly lower prevalence than men without a history of military service (2.1% vs. 3.3%; P = .003). Fewer differences were observed among women in the all-volunteer and draft eras. CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE: Differences in ACEs by era and sex lend preliminary support that enlistment may serve as an escape from adversity for some individuals, at least among men. Further research is needed to understand how best to support service members and veterans who may have experienced ACEs.

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  • At least three studies have found that military service members in the US and Canada report higher numbers of adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) compared to civilians.

    “At least three studies have found that military service members in the US and Canada report higher numbers of adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) compared to civilians (Blosnich et al. 2014; Afifi et al. 2016; Katon et al. 2016).”

    From Childhood adversity, adult stress, and the risk of major depression or generalized anxiety disorder in US soldiers: a test of the stress sensitization hypothesis (2017) · cites this paper as Blosnich et al. 2014

    The Results section reports that US men with military service in the all-volunteer era were more likely than men without service to report at least four ACE categories (27.3% versus 12.9%). The claim is broader than this finding: the Results report no difference in the number of ACE categories among women and little difference among draft-era men. This paper provides the US comparison, not evidence about Canada. (LLM, conf=0.88)

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References 42 · Cited by 281

Research works printed but not linked: 26

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Authors
Blosnich, J. R., Dichter, M. E., Cerulli, C., Batten, S. V., & Bossarte, R. M.
Affiliations
  • University of Rochester Medicine (US)
  • Veterans Health Administration (US)
  • United States Department of Veterans Affairs (US)
Corresponding author
Blosnich, John R.
ORCID
Venue
JAMA Psychiatry
Publisher
American Medical Association (AMA)
Published
2014-09-01
Volume
71
Issue
9
Pages
1041
ISSN
2168-622X (ISSN-L)
DOI
10.1001/jamapsychiatry.2014.724
PMC
PMC8981217
OpenAlex
W2132817769
Cited by
281
References
42
Citations by year
2026: 15 · 2025: 24 · 2024: 18 · 2023: 25 · 2022: 21 · 2021: 32 · 2020: 21 · 2019: 29 · 2018: 25 · 2017: 31 · 2016: 20 · 2015: 20
FWCI
28.01
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Locations
  • JAMA Psychiatry (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed Central (acceptedVersion)
Funders
  • National Institutes of Health (5t32mh020061-25)
  • National Institute of Mental Health (T32-MH020061)
Topics
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Child Abuse and Trauma
  • Social Sciences › Sociology and Political Science › Military, Security, and Education Studies
  • Social Sciences › Safety Research › Child Welfare and Adoption
Keywords
adverse childhood experiences, military service, veterans, military recruitment, sex differences, self-directed violence, childhood adversity, veterans' health, Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System, childhood abuse and neglect, child abuse
MeSH terms
Adolescent, Adult, Child, Child Abuse, Child Abuse, Sexual, Female, Humans, Male, Military Personnel, Sex Factors, United States, Prevalence, Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System, Young Adult

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