title: The relationship of childhood abuse and early separation from the military among Army advanced individual trainees.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To identify the prevalence rates and gender differences of childhood physical, sexual, and emotional abuse among advanced individual trainees and to determine if soldiers with a history of abuse increasingly separated from the Army before completing the training.
  
  
  METHODS
  Archival medical records of trainees presented to a military outpatient mental health clinic were analyzed for a history of abuse and separation from the Army.
  
  
  RESULTS
  A significant number of soldiers with a history of abuse were discharged from the Army without completing training. Females reported a higher prevalence of abuse than males; however, there was no significant relationship between gender and separation rates. The types of separations differed, with males more likely to be separated for conduct and females more often separated for medical reasons.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Childhood abuse had a significant relationship on attrition rates among Army trainees and should be addressed to improve adaptation to the military.
authors.affiliation: Department of Behavioral Medicine, Brooke Army Medical Center, 3851 Roger Brooke Drive, Fort Sam Houston, TX 78234-6200, USA.
authors.forename: Vijayalakshmy
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Patrick
authors.forename: Edan
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Critchfield
authors.forename: Thomas
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Vaccaro
authors.forename: Jason
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Campbell
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D002649:Child Abuse / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008889:Military Personnel / Q000523:psychology* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D010563:Personnel Turnover / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D055815:Young Adult