Articles

It is safe to assume that all soldiers are impacted by their experiences in war. For many, surviving the challenges of war can be rewarding, maturing, and growth-promoting (e.g., greater self efficacy,enhanced identity and sense of purposefulness, pride, camaraderie, etc.). The demands, stressors, and conflicts of participation in war can also be traumatizing, spiritually and morally devastating, and transformative in potentially damaging ways, the impact of which can be manifest across the lifespan...

The Department of Defense (DoD) announced the formation of a congressionally directed task force to examine matters relating to mental health and the Armed Forces. "This is an extremely important effort involving a collaboration of DoD, federal and private sector experts in mental health," said Dr. William Winkenwerder, Jr., assistant secretary of Defense for health affairs (ASD-HA). "The assessment and recommendations of this group will help to frame the course of the Department's mental health services well into the future..."

This report summarizes the findings of a study supported by the Military Family Research Institute and the DOD Quality of Life Office that focused on the adaptations of adolescents in military families when a parent is deployed. Qualitative methods were used through focus groups conducted with youth attending camps in the summer of 2004. The research was implemented by Drs. Angela J. Huebner and Jay A. Mancini, of the Department of Human Development at Virginia Tech...