Family Characteristics Associated with Child Maltreatment across the Deployment Cycle of U.S. Army Soldiers

Deployment can bring extra stress for military families with young children; however, little is known about how Service members' and children's characteristics may influence the potential association between deployment and child maltreatment. This study analyzed the child maltreatment data of 73,404 young children and the deployment history of children's Soldier-parents between 2001 and 2007. Results indicated that certain family characteristics and deployment periods were associated with higher child maltreatment risk than others.