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AUSTRALIAN GOVERNMENT TO STUDY HEALTH OF
FAMILIES
OF VIETNAM VETERANS -- Earlier studies
suggested that
children of Vietnam veterans had a higher
incidence of
conditions such as spina bifida and cleft
palate and
were more likely to commit suicide.
For more on Australian veterans, use the VA Watchdog search
engine...click here...
http://www.yourvabenefits.org/ses
search.php?q=australia&op=and
Story here...
http://www.thewest.com.
au/aapstory.aspx?StoryName=409701
Story below:
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Veterans' families health to be studied
The federal government has launched a ground-breaking research project
to assess the health and wellbeing of the families of Vietnam and East
Timor veterans.
That follows earlier studies which suggested that children of Vietnam
veterans had a higher incidence of conditions such as spina bifida and
cleft palate and were more likely to commit suicide.
Veterans Affairs Minister Bruce Billson said the government had
committed $13.5 million to fully fund the research, which will be
conducted by the Centre for Military and Veterans Health (CMVH).
The study will run for eight years with initial results available in
2009.
Mr Billson said it would consider the health of randomly selected
veterans from all three services, their spouses, children and
grandchildren.
The potential total study population numbers 200,000.
"We will be looking at their social circumstances, their resilience and
protective factors, what insights have we gained from families that
experienced some difficulty and worked through that," he said.
CMVH director Professor Niki Ellis said there was already considerable
knowledge about the impact of military service on family life.
"But we don't really have much detail on how that happens. We know there
is a mental health effect on family dynamics but we don't really know
the details of how that occurs," he said.
"We certainly don't know much about how that then impacts on the
physical, mental and social wellbeing of the children. We see this as a
very important opportunity to progress knowledge in these areas."
Mr Billson said the study would also examine the wellbeing of families
of those who served in East Timor from 1999.
He said it had taken up to 40 years to consider the health of Vietnam
veteran families.
"One of the issues we do need to address is the time lag between service
in Vietnam and doing this kind of analysis today," he said.
"That work is very important and a high priority. We are also keen to
make sure that the lessons learned and the insights gained can be
applied in a contemporary context."
Opposition veterans affairs spokesman Alan Griffin welcomed the study.
"Labor will be examining the details of what the government has proposed
and will consult representatives from the ex-service community. I have
also requested a briefing from the ministers office on this issue," he
said in a statement.
"However, at first glance this is a significant commitment and a major
and positive step forward."
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Larry Scott --
