" What Did You Do in the War, Daddy ?": Paternal Military Conscription During WWII, Economic Hardship and Family Violence in Childhood, and Health in Late Life in Japan.

This article examines the association between paternal military conscription (PMC) during the Second World War (WWII) in Japan and self-rated health (SRH) among older adults, focusing on the potential mediating role of adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) such as economic hardship and family violence. Using data from a 2016 population-based cohort of 20,286 Japanese adults aged 65 and older, the study found that PMC—but not paternal war death (PWD)—was associated with a higher risk of poor health in late life. Childhood family violence partially mediated this association, accounting for about 6.9% of the effect, while economic hardship did not mediate the relationship. The findings suggest a transgenerational impact of war-related paternal experiences on offspring health, highlighting the importance of considering long-term familial consequences of military conscription and combat exposure.