High Rate of Domestic Violence may Influence Military Divorce

While it may often appear as though the divorce rate for military members is somewhat higher than their civilian counterparts, the reasons behind their divorces might not be as clear. As the overall rate for domestic violence has decreased in America, military families are at an elevated risk for domestic violence. In Texas, this may play a role in military divorce.

Twenty-one percent of incidents of domestic violence in the United States can be contributed to veterans who have been involved in combat. There has been a demonstrated link between post-traumatic stress disorder in a veteran returning from a deployment, and the high incidence of military members embroiled in domestic violence disputes. The link between PTSD and domestic violence was supported by recent research. It demonstrated that veterans who experienced PTSD were far more likely to behave violently toward a partner.

Beyond PTSD, which can sadly be a somewhat common occurrence in military members, traumatic brain injuries suffered in combat zones may also be a root cause for the high occurrence of domestic violence. These types of brain injuries are closely associated with aggression in veterans. It has been noted that instances of domestic violence that stem from brain injuries are less likely to involve any sort of escalation and instead are more likely to pop up rather suddenly.

Some military spouses in Texas may find that divorce may be the safest and smartest solution when dealing with a violent partner. However, military members and their families may require specialized support for ironing out details that are specific to military families. Issues like child custody can be a difficult task to determine when one parent is likely to move relatively often. For spouses and families attempting to escape domestic violence, extra support and understanding may be necessary throughout the military divorce process.