Deployment Psychology Blog

Staff Perspective: An Interview with Dr. Alan Peterson

By Diana Dolan  on 06.11.2013 11:21 am

I recently sat down with Dr. Alan Peterson, Consortium Director of STRONG STAR (South Texas Research Organizational Network Guiding Studies on Trauma and Resilience), a multi-disciplinary, multi-site research consortium funded by the DoD and VA, to learn a little bit more about their current research projects. Dr. Peterson is a retired Air Force Lieutenant Colonel, a board-certified clinical health psychologist, and proposed STRONG STAR over five years ago to address the dearth of military-specific trauma research.

By the Numbers - Nov. 4, 2013

By Shirl Kennedy  on 04.11.2013 11:48 am

172

The number of statistical tables in the just-released report from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, Behavioral Health United States 2012. This publication, which "includes behavioral health statistics at the national and State levels from 40 different data sources," is a key resource for researchers, grant writers and anyone else who needs statistics concerning:

  • Behavioral Health of the Population: the mental health status of the U.S. population and prevalence of mental illness;
  • Behavioral Health Service Utilization: providers and settings for behavioral health services; types of behavioral health services provided; and rates of utilization;

Research Update: Oct. 31, 2013

By Shirl Kennedy  on 31.10.2013 1:19 pm

The CDP's weekly research update contains the latest news, journal articles and useful links from around the web. Some of this week's topics include:

  • Suicide attempts before joining the military increase risk for suicide attempts and severity of suicidal ideation among military personnel and veterans.
  • Relationship Among Adverse Childhood Experiences, History of Active Military Service, and Adult Outcomes: Homelessness, Mental Health, and Physical Health.

Staff Perspective: On Moral Injury

By Laura Copland  on 30.10.2013 12:00 pm

In a 2011 research article by Kent Drescher, et al titled “An Exploration of the Viability and Usefulness of the Construct of Moral Injury in War Veterans,” there was universal agreement among the subject matter experts interviewed that the concept of “moral injury” is needed to describe and discuss the complex range of consequences of combat. Moral injury arises when a Service member cannot reconcile what he or she has done or experienced in war with his worldview of him or herself prior to war. Commonly this involves killing, especially of non-combatants, often women or children.

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