Am J Psychiatry 1981; 138:354-357
Copyright © 1981 by American Psychiatric Association
Rethinking the military family syndrome
J Morrison
The author presents prospective data on 140 child and adolescent military
dependents and 234 nonmilitary subjects to assess the validity of the
"military family syndrome." The only significant diagnostic difference was
that military dependents had a lesser prevalence of schizophrenia and
schizophreniform psychosis; the few environmental differences did not
consistently favor either group. The author concludes that if the military
family syndrome exists at all, its effects are more subtle and its causes
are less obvious than has been previously stated.
