As casually as our political elite treat war, you’d think it left no scars.  Reasonable people know that it, both physically and psychologically, transforms those sent to fulfill political goals by force, but it isn’t made plain enough how it inflicts pain on the families they leave behind.  This is but one tangible example:

A new study in the Aug. 1 issue of the Journal of American Medical Association reveals that many of those who suffer from armed conflict are living within the homes that deployed soldiers leave behind.

Rates of neglect and abuse of the children of servicemen and women rose 42% within the family when the enlisted parent was deployed on a combat mission, according to a new study led by senior health analyst Deborah Gibbs of RTI International, a research institute in North Carolina. Previous studies have shown an association between combat-related deployments and higher levels of stress in the family, and it is this stress that is thought to play a major role in the maltreatment of children by the parent who stays home. […]

The study suggests that Mom is the one taking it out on the kids. During the deployment of her soldier-husband, rates of child maltreatment tripled; neglect quadrupled; and physical abuse nearly doubled. (emphasis mine)

The abuse itself isn’t a surprise.  Some people simply crack up under the pressure.  What is though is that, as mentioned, the trend leaned so heavily towards when the husband is deployed rather than the wife.  Lashing out in general has been more of a male thing historically, is the discrepancy a matter of common characteristics with military spouses?  I’m seriously asking, if anyone has their theory.