Overview

The Center for the Study of Traumatic Stress (CSTS) has a robust Child and Family Program that has expanded the Center’s reach and expertise on the effects of trauma on families and children from war, natural disaster, terrorism and bioterrorism. Stephen Cozza, M.D. Professor of Psychiatry at USUHS serves as Associate Director CSTS and Director of its Child and Family Program (CFP). The CHP generates and disseminates knowledge related to military childhood experiences, develops effective public education materials, and expands and studies effective intervention strategies to advance the health and mental health of military children and family.  The Center’s national and international relationships with multiple organizations, universities, and government agencies serve as partnerships in the CFPs’ wide-ranging Family and Child Mental Health resiliency (strength) promoting activities.

CSTS Family Violence Program has led Department of Defense activities in the study of U.S. Army family violence and child maltreatment and child abuse in particular. CSTS was the first to report the increased rates of child neglect related to the recent OIF/OEF conflict in 2004. Military deployment has been associated with increased child maltreatment. The CSTS continues to be at the forefront of understanding the contribution of military community and family stress to theses measured changes in child maltreatment.

 As a Category II site of the National Child Traumatic Stress Network (NCTSN), Child and Family Program serves as the subject matter expert in military child and family trauma.  Through consultation, CFP serves as a knowledge center related to military children and families, to include the impact of combat deployment, combat related parental illness, injury and death on child and family functioning. The CFP also serves as a knowledge development and dissemination center to NCTSN for trauma-informed and evidence-based information on the psychological effects and health consequences of parental combat experiences on military children, optimizing and sustaining military family health and functioning.

 National Center for Child Traumatic Stress (NCCTS) and Center for Study of Traumatic Stress (CSTS), Child and Family Program launched The Military Families Knowledge Bank which is an online database of resources, reports, articles, activities and announcements related to Military Family and Children issues. You can use the MFKB to find materials to assist family members, children and teens, as well as providers, educators, policy makers and medical staff.

Dr. Stephen Cozza with Elmo during a Sesame Street video shoot