6. Furey JA: Women Vietnam veterans: a comparison of studies. Journal of Psy- chosocial Nursing 29:11-13, 1991 7 . Dienstfrey SJ: Women veterans’ expo- sure to combat. Armed Forces and Soci- cry 14:549-558, 1988 8. Resnick HS, Kilpatrick DJ, Dansky BS, et al: Prevalence of civilian trauma and posttraumatic stress disorder in a repre- sentative national sample of women. Psychiatric Morbidity and Family Burden Among Parents of Disabled Children 940 Psychiatric Services September 1995 Vol. 46 No.9 treatment of female veterans may be complicated by family concerns that are less frequently apparent for men. We should note that our results describe only veterans seeking treat- ment in the VA system. Many female veterans do not use VA services, a point which future research should address more fully. VA has recognized the need for trauma treatment for women veten- ans and has initiated several ground- breaking programs, such as a special- ized women’s PTSD inpatient unit, outreach counselors in freestanding veterans resource centers, intensive training for primary care providers in women’s mental health issues, and a continuing series of live satellite broadcasts focusing on sexual trauma to women (10). Our research con- firms that these initiatives recognize important treatment needs of female veterans. Additional treatment needs that may warrant targeted treatment pro- grams in outpatient clinics include the high rate ofchildhood abuse and adult battering relationships in this population, with additional empha- sis on parent training and relation- ship issues. Clearly, evaluating fe- male veterans’ psychiatric needs is essential to providing attractive ser- vices for this population. This chal- lenge will become increasingly im- pontant because health care reforms are likely to open competition be- tween other service providers and VA ftcilities. References 1. Strauss GD, Sack DA, Lesser I: Which veterans go to VA psychiatric hospitals for care: a pilot study. Hospital and Commu- nityPsychiatry36:962-965, 1985 2. DvoredskyAE, Cooley W: Thehealth care needs of women veteams. Hospital and Community Psychiatry 36:1098-1101, 1985 3. Schuler MSP, Barclay AG, Harrison B, et al: Psychologicalservices offered to female veterans. Journal of Clinical Psychology 42:668-675, 1986 4. Rothman GH: Needs of female patients in a veterans psychiatric hospital. Social Work 29:380-385, 1984 5. Wolfe J, Brown PJ, Bucsela ML: Symp- tom responses offemale Vietnam venerans to Operation Desert Storm. American Journal ofPsychiatry 149:676-679, 1992 Bernardo Carpiniello, M.D. Alessandra Piras, M.D. Carmine M. Paniante, M.D. Mauro G. Carta, M.D. Nereide Rudas, M.D. Twenty parents of mentally re- tare/ed children and 20 parents of children with neurological impair- ments were interviewed to deter- mine their levels of psychiatric symptoms andofsubjective andob- jective burden associated with care fortbeirdisabledchild. The parents of disabled children had signifi- cantly higher levels of psychiatric symptoms and were more likely to meet criteria for depressive disor- ders, comparedwitba matched con- trol group of parents of children without disabilities. The two groups ofparents ofdisabled chil- dren reported considerable subjec- tive andobjective burden, although there were no differences between those groups in the kvel of burden. (Psychiatric Services 46:940-942, 1995) The psychological consequences of raising children who are mentally re- tarded, physically disabled, or psy- chotic have been widely reported. Frequent reactions such as denial, guilt, helplessness, and depression The authors are affiliated with the Istituto di Clinica Psichiatrica, Via Liguria 13, 09127 Cagliari, Italy. Journal ofConsulting and Clinical Psy- chology 61:984-991, 1993 9. Leda C, Rosenheck R, Gallup P: Mental illness among homeless female veterans. Hospital and Community Psychiatry 43:1026-1028, 1992 10. Women Veterans Health Program News- letter. Washington, DC, OfficeofEnviron- mental Medicine and Public Health, US Department ofVenerans Affairs,July 1993 have been observed among parents of such children (1-3). Some authors have reported greater risk of emo- tional oveninvolvement among par- ents ofseriously mentally retarded or psychotic children than among par- ents of neurologically disabled off- spring (4,5). The study reported here compared three groups of parents-parents of children with severe on moderate mental retardation, parents of chil- dren affected by serious neurological (mainly motor) impairments, and a control group of parents of children without disabilities. We tested the hypotheses that rates of psychiatric disorders and psychopathological symptoms would be higher among parents ofmentally or physically dis- abled children than among the con- trol group and that the two groups of parents of disabled children would experience difftrent levels of sub jec- tive and objective burden. Methods The disabled children whose parents participated in the study attended a local center in Cagliari, Italy, spon- soned by the Italian Association for Assistance to Spastics, a private or- ganization. The center is state-necog- nized and partly financed by the re- gional government. It offers a day program providing both mental health services and special education. After examination of clinical re- cords, 20 mentally retarded subjects,