April is the Month of the Military Child

Children grow and thrive in loving and safe homes. The challenges military families face while serving the nation can interfere with parents’ ability to provide for the changing and complex needs of their children. In recognition of April as the Month of the Military Child, our goal is to raise awareness among community service providers of military programs that strengthen military families.

Joining Forces Joining Family, Spring 2019

Exposure of children to intimate partner violence (IPV) is an important and potentially overlooked form of child maltreatment. The Spring 2019 issue of Joining Forces Joining Families newsletter focuses on the subject of children exposed to IPV. We feature an interview with two noted researchers in the area of child maltreatment, Melissa Kimber, PhD, and Harriet MacMillan, MD, both of McMaster University in Ontario, Canada. Other features of this edition are a brief literature review on children exposed, police responses to IPV when children are present, and websites providing resources on the topic. Previous issues of the newsletter can be found here.

MARCH IS BRAIN INJURY AWARENESS MONTH

In support of the Department of Defense’s effort to increase awareness of traumatic brain injury (TBI), the Center for the Study of Traumatic Stress will distribute information and resources to educate and support the community on issues of TBI. 

Please click HERE for more information

Army STARRS: Volume 3, Issue 2, Updated Mar 25, 2019

This document is an ongoing continuous summary of Army STARRS and STARRS-LS publications. Army STARRS (2009-2015) was the largest and most comprehensive research project of mental health among U.S. Army Soldiers ever conducted. The project was designed to examine a broad range of risk and resilience (protective) factors across a complex set of outcomes including suicidal behaviors and associated mental health issues. Army STARRS scientists created a series of large and extensive databases with the potential to achieve groundbreaking results. These databases allow scientists to investigate a diverse combination of factors from demographic, psychological, biological, neurological, behavioral, and social domains with the goal of generating actionable findings for the Army. The project was designed using an adaptive approach which means it evolved as new information became available over the course of the project. The research team shared preliminary findings, as they became available, with senior Army leadership so the Army could apply them to its ongoing health promotion, risk reduction, and suicide prevention efforts. The work is continuing under the STARRS Longitudinal Study (STARRS-LS) which runs from 2015 to 2020.

Podcast - Ms. Patricia Barron interviews Dr. Stephen Cozza

Ms. Patricia Barron, Director of Family Readiness at the Association of the United States Army interviews Dr. Stephen Cozza, Associate Director of the Center for the Study of Traumatic Stress (CSTS) and Director of the Child and Family Program at CSTS. Dr. Cozza's interview focuses on supporting the needs of military children and families and includes an overview of CSTS's Stepping Forward in Grief study.

Click HERE for the podcast