Study: Soldiers Afraid To Get Help With Problems At Home

Posted 3:57 p.m. Oct 30, 2002 — Updated 3:57 p.m. Oct 30, 2002

FORT BRAGG, N.C. — According to the research conducted by the U.S. Army, soldiers shun counseling because they are scared if they seek help it will hurt their military careers. The study comes after the killings of four wives by their Fort Bragg husbands.

Since the murders, military leaders have spent weeks listening to other families dealing with domestic violence. The soldiers' fears are outlined on the front page of Wednesday's

USA Today

Shortly after the rash of military murders, the Army Surgeon General's Office sent a team to Fort Bragg to investigate.

USA Today

has seen a draft of its findings.

The report states the Army needs to do a better job of identifying soldiers in trouble and getting them into programs to deal with stress and family violence.

"Even though this isn't supposed to happen, it is happening. This isn't a legislative fix, but we want and need to make sure everyone understands the confidentality issues," said Rep. Robin Hayes, in response to the article.

The report apparently dismisses a claim that the anti-malaria drug, Lariam, may have contributed to the violence. The official report is expected to be released in a few weeks.

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