When Daddy Is Off at War: A Hologram Home?

[Joanne98]

The Pentagon soon will begin paying monthly bonuses of up to $500 to troops barred from leaving the military because they're needed for the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. A fatter paycheck will take some of the sting out of the military's high demand for troops and the resulting stop-loss policy. But it won't do anything to dry the tears of soldiers' children distraught over Dad's or Mom's absence. Now the Pentagon wants to create computerized hologram-like moms and dads that can talk with the kids when their parents are deployed far from home and beyond telephone or e-mail contact.

But don't expect the hologram scene from Star Wars where Princess Leia appears to ask, "Help me, Obi-Wan Kenobi." The Pentagon is still looking for the right technique and technology — at the right price. The parameters are simple: lonely kids should be able to "boot up" Dad or Mom on their home computer. "The child should be able to have a simulated conversation with a parent about generic, everyday topics," reads the Defense Department's solicitation seeking companies to develop the concept. "For instance, a child may get a response from saying 'I love you,' or 'I miss you,' or 'Good night.'" The goal: reassuring little ones whose parent has suddenly disappeared. "The children don't quite understand Mommy or Daddy being deployed," says Navy commander Russell Shilling, the experimental psychologist overseeing the program. "That kind of interaction — the need to say goodnight or to continue to feel connected to a parent — is very important." (See pictures of U.S. troops' 5 years in Iraq.)

http://www.time.com/time/nation/article/0,8599,1870426,00.html?imw=Y

[stillcool]

1. why not a cardboard cut-out?

This article originally appeared in the July 2007 volume of the Zero To Three
Journal on Coping With Separation and Loss.
The Young Military Child
Our Modern Telemachus
Stephen J. Cozza
Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences
Alicia F. Lieberman
University of California, San Francisco
-A combat mindset or what has been referred to as Battlemind can lead to misdirected irritability or aggression that can impact on small children. Irritability, emotional rage, jumpiness, hypervigilance, or overreactivity can all lead to family conflict and misunderstanding on the part of the young child. Social withdrawal or reduced communication because of anxiety about sharing upsetting war-related experiences may cause further withdrawal from family members and lead to a child’s confusion about the meaning of such parental nonavailability.
—Postdeployment emotional and behavioral responses can range from more typical short-term distress responses, such as change in sleep, decreased sense of safety, or social isolation, to the development of more serious psychiatric conditions, such as post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) or depression.
Studies conducted by Hoge and colleagues (Hoge et al., 2004; Hoge, Auchterlonie, & Milliken, (2005) at the Walter Reed Army Institute of Research have demonstrated significant postdeployment distress in populations of combat exposed soldiers and marines returning from Iraq. When screened 12 months after return from combat deployment, nearly 20% of service members endorsed symptoms consistent with a mental
disorder, most often PTSD or depression.
—Studies have demonstrated that the children of parents with depression (Beardslee, Versage, & Gladstone, 1998) evidence significant problems in a wide range of functional areas. Children of Vietnam veterans with PTSD are more likely to evidence symptoms similar to those of their combat-exposed fathers (Rosenheck & Nathan, 1985; Rosenheck & Thompson, 1986).


Developmental Stages and Children’s Expression of Distress
PRESCHOOL OR KINDERGARTEN
• Clinging to people or favorite toy or blanket
• Unexplained crying or tearfulness
• Choosing adults over same-age playmates
• Increased acts of violence toward people or things
• Shrinking away from people or becoming very quiet
• Sleep difficulties or disturbances (waking, bad dreams)
• Eating difficulties or changes in eating patterns
• Fear of new people or situations
• Keeping primary care giver in view
SCHOOL-AGED CHILDREN
• Rise in somatic complaints
• More irritable, labile
• Problems at school (grades, attendance refusal, fighting)
• Anger toward at-home parent, siblings
ADOLESCENTS
• Acting out behaviors (trouble at school, home, law)
• Low self-esteem and selfcriticism
• Misdirected anger (over small things, at parent/sibling)
• Sudden or unusual school problems
• Loss of interest in usual hobbies, activities