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We thank Dr. Clark for his letter and we appreciate the opportunity for discussion regarding the issues that military families endure. as We are always working to find the balance between recognizing the real impacts of the high mobility and relocation on the Canadian healthcare experience for military families without perpetuating the perception that military families are damaged.
Dr. Clark raises some valid issues related to differences between the military operational demands and experiences across nations; however, he fails to consider the unique healthcare experiences of Canadian military families. In the US, the military provides continuous healthcare for the families regardless of their location. For Canadian military families, 50% of whom move every 2-4 years, this is not the case. They must access civilian healthcare services across jurisdictions, starting from scratch every time. The issues raised in the vignette, when present, are amplified under these conditions.
We agree with Dr. Clark that we cannot state that the issues highlighted in our vignette are common without supporting Canadian data. Recently published survey data from Canadian Forces Morale and Wellness Services suggest that, while this may be a common scenario for military families in the US and/or Canadian military families in need, the majority of Canadian military families are doing well at any point in time. Military families in crisis are not the norm for the average family phys...
Show MoreCompeting Interests: None declared. - Page navigation anchor for Prejudging the problems of Canada's military familiesPrejudging the problems of Canada's military families
I am delighted to read that research is underway to identify medical concerns specific to Canada's military families. My interest is personal. I am the son of a career officer and WW II veteran, I was raised on military bases around Canada, and later I served as a CAF General Duty Medical Officer and raised my children on and near military bases.
I am concerned that the authors are pre-empting the research. Their article begins with the usual vignette, in this case a military family in crisis. The infant son is not progressing, the daughter is regressing, the infantryman-father's behaviour has changed, the mother is struggling. The vignette is a list of red flags, a picture of incipient failure.
The authors state that "This is not an uncommon situation for military families." Later they say that currently "there are no Canadian data comparing commonly experienced health problems by CAF spouses or children."
You can't say the problem is common, then say that you have no epidemiological data.
The data in the article are essentially US data. Extrapolating this data would be unwise. US military personnel start from different socioeconomic backgrounds; they are deployed abroad more frequently and for longer periods than Canadian personnel; their families are uprooted more often; the US military is embedded in American society and culture in a way that is foreign to this country.
Contrary to the article'...
Show MoreCompeting Interests: None declared.