How Deployment of Close Family Members Can Lead To Teen Depression


Everyone will agree that the problem of anxiety and teen depression is quite common among teenagers. This is more so in the case of school or college going students. However, it is more surprising to learn that teenagers who observe military deployment of a parent are more prone to depression. According to a study, the number of teenagers dealing with depression is more in families whose one of the parent is deployed in military. There are many factors that trigger high level of teen depression among youngsters whose parents are deployed.

Concerns about parents

Youngsters whose parents are deployed are worried about their mom or dad. This is more so, if a mother is deployed in the military. The primary reason is moms are more close to children that fathers. Often youngsters share their problems with their moms. In turn, moms help to resolve most of their problems. When mothers are far away from home, teenagers get worried about the well being of their mother. Moreover, they are unable to share their feelings and problems with their mother. As a result, their anxiety and pressure keeps on increasing with the passage of time.

Lack of support

Everyone will agree that support and assistance play a vital role in resolving any kind of problem. Whether it is your work life or a personal life, you can certainly deal with any complex problems through support and assistance from your loved ones. Without support, many problems remain unsolved. The same applies in the case of teens who are studying in schools and colleges. When moms and dads are deployed in military, teenagers do not have any support and help to resolve their personal issues. As a result, most of the teenagers tend to take wrong decisions which only compound their level of anxiety and depression.

Lack of communication

It is not a denying fact that children share most of their problems with their parents. However, when their parents are deployed in military, they are not able to meet them for a long time. Due to this reason, there tends to be a communication gap between children and parents. Lack of communication often makes a child depressed, especially if he is feeling pressurized at school or college due to one or the other reason. Often zero communication between parents and youngsters invite serious levels of anxiety and teen depression among young individuals. No communication with parents induces youngsters to indulge in bad habits like drug abuse or alcoholism which further boosts depression and anxiety.

Final words

Thus, various factors indicate why there is more teen depression among teenagers whose parents are deployed in the military. Worries about parents, lack of communication and support etc are few of the important reasons that lead to the problem of hopelessness and worries. If not attended on time, the levels of depression can multiply quickly triggering a number of other issues. However, it is possible to deal with the teen depression through proper counseling and communication via video conferencing and internet when you are away from your children.

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