Research
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The Division of Military Child and Family Research focuses efforts and understanding on improving the lives of military connected children, youth and families. Military families face stressors resulting from moves, service member deployments and sometimes serious injuries. The experiences of military connected children can be challenging; understanding these challenges, recognizing periods of increased risk, and identifying personal, family and community factors that may increase or ameliorate risk is crucial to providing care for our military children and families.
We have explored multiple aspects of child, family and service member well-being within the military healthcare system linking health and military data with individual and organizational reporting to holistically explore child risk and family outcomes. We are experienced in looking at military wide trends and care patterns which have been crucial to exploring military life stressors such moves, parental deployment and injury, and family member health on military connected children and youth. More recently the division has been exploring ways to increase child and family access to supports and services to strengthen families, and exploring best practicing on disseminating information to increase awareness of resources. We have also been leading educational efforts related to how trauma-informed care and the science of positive experiences relate to military youth and families.
Current Projects
- Warrior Care and Transition Program Participation on Family Well-Being – increasing understanding of the impact serious injury on service members, spouses and children
- DoD Child Collaboration Study - Working with USUHS and civilian partners to increase access to telehealth services and training to primary care providers to expand capacity to care for children and youth with developmental and mental health challenges
- Effect of pregnancy, childbirth and early motherhood experiences on active duty service women's musculoskeletal injury and retention in the US Military - Pregnancy and Musculoskeletal injury are two factors associated with women leaving active service, understanding how their connection and policies around the pregnancy period impact military retention and health
- The Impact of Disparities in Access to Behavioral and Specialty Care for Injured Services Members and Their Families - Exploring how differences in access to and use of specialized healthcare services can impact those with injuries and their family networks
- Educational Partnership to Increase Medical Providers Awareness of Non-Medical Counseling - Medical provider educational sessions around the importance of early intervention counseling services to help children and youth cope with stressors of military life
- Increasing Military Family Enrollment into the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women Infants and Children - Many military families are WIC eligible, assessing multiple forms of outreach to explore the best ways to increase WIC enrollment of military families
Research Highlights
The Impact of Military Parents’ Injuries On The Health And Well-Being of Their Children
Prenatal, perinatal and neonatal risk factors of autism spectrum disorder
Mental Health Trends in Military Pediatrics
Military Family Perspectives on Enrollment and Engagement in the WIC Program