MacDonald Franklin OSI Research Centre, London, Canada.
Veterans Affairs Canada, Charlottetown, Canada.
Eur J Psychotraumatol. 2024;15(1):2353534. doi: 10.1080/20008066.2024.2353534. Epub 2024 Jun 4.
As armed conflict grows increasingly complex, the involvement of children in armed violence across diverse roles is rising. Consequently, military personnel are more likely to encounter children during deployment. However, little is known about deployment-related encounters with children and their impact on the mental health of military personnel and Veterans. This study qualitatively examines the nature and impacts of deployment-related encounters with children. We conducted semi-structured interviews with 16 Canadian Armed Forces Veterans, eliciting rich information on the nature of child encounters on deployment, the psycho-social-spiritual impacts of these encounters, and perceptions of support. Interview transcripts were analysed using thematic analysis. Six primary themes were identified: (i.e. factual aspects of deployment-related encounters with children), (i.e. aspects of the mission, environment, and personal context relevant to one's experience of the encounter), (i.e. sensory or sense-making experiences relevant to the encounter), (i.e. psycho-social, existential, and occupational impacts), engaged in both during and after deployment, and , describing both formal and informal sources of support. Encounters with children are diverse and highly stressful, resulting in impacts pertinent to mental health, including psychological and moral distress, and difficulties with identity, spirituality, and relationships. These impacts are prompted by complex interactions among appraisals, expectations of morality, cultural norms, and professional duties and are amplified by various personal factors (e.g. childhood maltreatment history, parenthood), feelings of unpreparedness, and lack of post-deployment support. Implications for prevention, intervention, and policy are discussed with the aim of informing future efforts to safeguard and support military personnel facing a high likelihood of encounters with children.
随着武装冲突日益复杂，儿童在各种角色中卷入武装暴力的情况也在增加。因此，军人在部署期间更有可能遇到儿童。然而，人们对与部署相关的与儿童的接触及其对军人和退伍军人心理健康的影响知之甚少。本研究定性地研究了与部署相关的与儿童接触的性质和影响。我们对 16 名加拿大武装部队退伍军人进行了半结构式访谈，从部署期间与儿童的接触性质、这些接触对个人的心理-社会-精神影响以及对支持的看法等方面，获得了丰富的信息。使用主题分析对访谈记录进行了分析。确定了六个主要主题：（即与部署相关的与儿童接触的事实方面）、（即与任务、环境和个人背景相关的方面，这些方面与个人接触的经历有关）、（即与接触有关的感官或意义形成的经历）、（即心理-社会、存在和职业影响）、（即部署期间和之后所采取的措施）和（即描述正式和非正式的支持来源）。与儿童的接触是多种多样的，压力很大，对心理健康产生了影响，包括心理和道德困扰，以及身份、精神和人际关系方面的困难。这些影响是由评估、道德期望、文化规范和专业职责之间的复杂相互作用引起的，并因各种个人因素（如儿童期虐待史、为人父母）、缺乏准备和缺乏部署后的支持而加剧。讨论了预防、干预和政策的影响，旨在为未来保护和支持极有可能遇到儿童的军人的努力提供信息。
