Cambodia experienced civil strife, political violence and widespread killings during the rule of the
Khmer Rouge in the 1970s. Many who died were children or spouses of today’s older-aged
population. The post Khmer Rouge period was characterized by severe social dislocation and
continuing conflict resulting in further losses of children and spouses. There is the possibility that
these events eroded the base of core family support for older adults in a country where formal
channels of assistance are virtually absent. This paper links two areas within demographic study that
having been gaining increased attention in recent years, the consequences of conflict and violence
and aging in developing countries, by examining the extent to which current Cambodian elderly
experienced deaths to children, spouses, forced migration, and family separation, during the Khmer
Rouge period, and the extent to which deaths to children and spouses during the war impact on
indicators that are commonly used to measure the welfare of older-adults, specifically, those related
to the living arrangements, support and material well-being. Data come from a 2004 representative
survey of persons aged 60+ in an area covering over half of Cambodia's population and including
Phnom Penh. Results indicate that the influence of the war was widespread. More than one in four
surviving older adults in Cambodia report that a child of theirs died due to violent causes during the
Khmer Rouge period, and more than one in five report death to multiple children. An interesting,
and potentially striking, and on the surface counterintuitive, conclusion is that the impact of deaths
to children and spouses are somewhat modest. The reasons for this, elucidated in the conclusion of
this paper, include high fertility among the current generation of older adults in Cambodia, the
probability that losses during the war depended on family size at the time, and the pervasiveness of
poverty in the country today.