Half Of Canadian Soldiers Victims Of Child Abuse

Higher than in general population

As many as half of Canadian soldiers suffered or were exposed to child abuse. A University of Manitoba researcher says it has included physical and sexual abuse,and exposure to intimate partner violence. This exposure was higher with members of the regular forces (47.7 per cent) and even higher among reservists (49.4 per cent). Adults who were abused as children make up 33.1 per cent in the general population. The research, published in the Journal of the American Medical Association Psychiatry found people coming out of these dysfunctional families often gravitate toward an environment where there’s structure and safety, such as the military. This research also found, perhaps surprisingly, that the link between this abuse and suicide was weaker in the military than for the general population.