Friday, September 25, 2020
What is it?
The Study to Assess Risk and Resilience in Servicemembers - Longitudinal Study (STARRS-LS) continues the Army’s research efforts toward suicide prevention with partner agencies. Beginning with Army STARRS (2009-2015) and extending into the longitudinal effort of STARRS-LS (2015-2020), STARRS-LS (2020-2025) will utilize the STARRS platform, systems and data to improve understanding of predictive factors for suicide and psychological health of Soldiers, including those who have separated from the service.
What are the current and past efforts of the Army?
A new STARRS-LS Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) was signed by the Under Secretary of the Army on July 27, 2020 in coordination with the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Health Affairs, the Department of Veterans Affairs, and the National Institute of Mental Health to continue the STARRS-LS effort.
STARRS-LS has partnered with the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). With the close coordination and improved data sharing, STARRS-LS will facilitate the research team’s ability to follow service members after they separate from active military service.
What continued efforts does the Army have planned?
During the next phase of STARRS-LS, the research team, including the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, Harvard Medical School, University of Michigan, and the University of California, San Diego, will continue their analysis efforts to better understand suicide, suicide-related behavior, and other mental and behavioral health issues. These efforts will include:
Why is this important to the Army?
The STARRS-LS provides the Army a means to better understand risk and protective factors for suicide and related behavioral health problems. This capability rapidly translates findings into action, and results that may inform the development of more effective interventions and facilitate evidence-based decision making.
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