Publications
Research Publication 2
Title Publication Date/Location
Gender differences in marital and military predictors of service member career satisfaction. Family Relations 2022 May; 1-23

Street, T., Lewin, A., Woodall, K., Cruz-Cano, R., Thoma, M., & Stander, V. A.

U.S. servicewomen may face unique military experiences unlike those of servicemen, and stressors can affect their satisfaction with the military. Understanding factors influencing satisfaction among the increasing number of U.S. servicewomen in the U.S. military is important for retention. This study increases our understanding of the influence military and family stressors have on service members' satisfaction with the military. It also reveals gender differences in military satisfaction and recommends strategies to address the needs of diverse military families.

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Longitudinal patterns of military spousal alcohol consumption: Findings from the Millennium Cohort Family Study. Journal of Studies on Alcohol and Drugs 2022 July; 83(4), 546-555

Sparks, A. C., Williams, C. S., Pflieger, J. C., Jacobson, I., Corry, N. H., Radakrishnan, S., & Stander, V. A.

Alcohol use in the military is prevalent and has short- and long-term health, safety, and career consequences. Although several studies have examined service members’ alcohol consumption, few have focused on alcohol use among military spouses. This study assessed factors at individual, interpersonal, and organizational levels to determine associations with risky alcohol use among military spouses.

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Influence of family factors on service members' decisions to leave the military. Family Relations 2022 August; 1-20

Woodall, K., Esquivel, A., Powell, T., Riviere, L., Amoroso, P., & Stander, V. A.

Service member retention is a crucial aspect in maintaining and advancing the U.S. military and its mission. To increase retention, it is important to understand why active duty personnel voluntarily leave while they are still highly qualified. For married service members, spouses likely influence the decision to stay or leave military service. The current study used data from the Millennium Cohort Family Study for 4,539 dyads comprising service members and their spouses to investigate family predictors of voluntary military separation.

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Pre- and perinatal risk factors for child maltreatment in military families across the first two years of life. Child Maltreatment 2022 April; 1-12

Sullivan, K., Richardson, S., Ross, A., Cederbaum, J., Pflieger, J., Abramovitz, L., Bukowinski, A., & Stander, V.

Military families are exposed to a unique constellation of risk factors, which may impact maltreatment outcomes. The present study examined prospective relationships between demographic, health, birth-related, and military-specific risk factors identified prior to a child’s birth on their risk for maltreatment in the first two years of life.

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Associations between spouse and service member prescriptions for high-risk and long-term opioids: a dyadic study Addictive Behaviors Reports 2021 June; 14

Sparks AC, Radakrishnan S, Corry NH, McDonald D, Carlson K, Carballo CE, Stander, V.

This study explores the extent to which military spouses’ obtainment of opioids is associated with their service member partners’ obtainment of opioid prescriptions, in addition to other factors such as service member health, state prescribing patterns, and sociodemographic characteristics. Findings suggest that reducing the number of long-term and high-risk opioid prescriptions to service members may subsequently reduce the number of similar prescriptions obtained by their spouses. Reducing the number of service members and spouses at risk for adverse events may prove to be effective in stemming the opioid epidemic and improve the overall health and safety of military spouses and thus, the readiness of the U.S. Armed Forces.

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Demographic variation in military life stress and perceived support among military spouses Military Medicine 2021 Jan; 186(1):214-221

Corry NH, Williams CS, Radakrishnan S, McMaster HS, Sparks AC, Briggs-King EC, Karon SS, Stander VA

Military spouses play a critical role in supporting service members and the family unit, and experience unique stressors as a result of military life. Using data from the Millennium Cohort Family Study, a nationwide survey of 9,872 married spouses of service members with 2–5 years of military service, we examined differences in experiences of military life stress and perceived support across multiple subgroups of military spouses to identify groups potentially at risk. Key outcomes included military-related stressors, perceived social support and support from the military, and coping; predictors included spouse sociodemographic, military population, and family characteristics. Certain spouses (>35 years, had a high school diploma or less, fulltime or not employed, had 2+ children, or married to service members in the Army, Navy, or Marine Corps) were more likely to experience heightened military stress, less social support, and/or poorer coping skills. Findings may inform culturally relevant initiatives to enhance social support and connectedness among at-risk military spouses.

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Comparison of Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Checklist Instruments from Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition vs Fifth Edition in a Large Cohort of US Military Service Members and Veterans JAMA Network Open 2021 April; 4(4): e218072

LeardMann CA, McMaster HS, Warner S, Esquivel AP, Porter B, Powell TM, Tu XM, Lee WW, Rull RP, Hoge CW

To assist in the longitudinal assessment of PTSD spanning the transition between the DSM-IV and DSM-V, we compared the PTSD Checklist-Civilian version (PCL-C) with the PCL for DSM-5 (PCL-5) in a sample of 1,921 participants from the Millennium Cohort Study. There was substantial to excellent agreement when comparing individual items, frequency of probably PTSD, and sum scores; and nearly identical associations with comorbid conditions. Our results provide support that PTSD can be successfully assessed and compared over time with either PCL instrument in veteran and military populations.

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Reducing the length of the Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support European Journal of Psychological Assessment 2020 Sep;36(5):829-838

Porter B, Kolaja CA, Powell TM, Pflieger JC, Stander VA, Armenta RA

This study establishes the utility and validity of a shortened version of the Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support (MSPSS). Using data from the first follow-up survey of the Millennium Cohort Family Study and a sample of university undergraduate students, results demonstrated that a scale half the length of the original measure (six items) assessed perceived social support about equally well as the full length MSPSS. Therefore, future Millennium Cohort and Millennium Cohort Family Study questionnaires will contain the reduced measure, saving participants time without sacrificing data quality.

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High-risk and long-term opioid prescribing to military spouses in the Millennium Cohort Family Study Military Medicine 2020 Sep;185(9-10):e1759-e1769

McDonald DC, Radakrishnan S, Sparks AC, Corry NH, Carballo CE, Carlson K, Stander VA

The use and misuse of opioids by active service members has been examined in several studies, but little is known about their spouses' opioid use. This study estimates the number of military spouses who received high-risk or long-term opioid prescriptions between 2010 and 2014, and addresses how the Military Health System can help prevent risky prescribing in order to improve military force readiness. Using data from the Millennium Cohort Family Study and the Pharmacy Data Transaction Service, this study found that nearly 1 in 10 military spouses received an opioid prescription that put their health at risk. Spouses with physical pain, a lack of social support, and adverse childhood experiences were all associated with receiving higher risk opioid prescriptions.

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A Model of Deployment Readiness among Military Spouses: The Role of Mental Health and Deployment-Related Personal Growth Military Behavioral Health 2020 Oct; 8(4): 378-395

Richardson SM, Pflieger JC, Woodall KA, Stander VA, Riviere LA

The purpose of the current investigation was to examine deployment-related risks, resources, and mediators contributing to military spouse perception of readiness for future service member deployments. Findings indicated that service member combat and injury negatively impacted spouse perception of deployment readiness through detriments to service member and spouse mental health. However, informal support and deployment communication were positively related to mental health for both partners, leading to improved spouse-perceived deployment readiness.

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