What’s New

Acts of mass violence, such as the shootings at Abundant Life Christian School in Madison, Wisconsin cause extreme disruption within communities. Acts of violence against children are particularly distressing, and their occurrence at locations often thought of as safe havens, such as schools, further undermine feelings of safety within a community. Please click HERE for brief, action-oriented fact sheets and additional information to help individuals, communities, and organizations in the aftermath of the shootings at Abundant Life Christian School.

This document is an ongoing continuous summary of Army STARRS and STARRS-LS publications. STARRS/STARRS LS (2009 - present) is the largest and most comprehensive research project of mental health among U.S. Army Soldiers ever conducted. The project was designed to examine a broad range of risk and resilience (protective) factors across a complex set of outcomes including suicidal behaviors and associated mental health issues. Army STARRS scientists created a series of large and extensive databases with the potential to achieve groundbreaking results. These databases allow scientists to investigate a diverse combination of factors from demographic, psychological, biological, neurological, behavioral, and social domains with the goal of generating actionable findings for the Army. The project was designed using an adaptive approach which means it evolved as new information became available over the course of the project. The research team shared preliminary findings, as they became available, with senior Army leadership so the Army could apply them to its ongoing health promotion, risk reduction, and suicide prevention efforts. The work is continuing under the STARRS Longitudinal Study (STARRS-LS) which runs from 2015 to 2025.

Catastrophic natural disasters, such as Hurricane Helene, cause extreme disruption and can be stressful for individuals, families, and communities. Click HERE for webpage with action-oriented fact sheets and additional information to help individuals, communities, and organizations in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene.

The Center for the Study of Traumatic Stress, Department of Psychiatry, Center for Deployment Psychology, and Brain & Behavior Hub of the Uniformed Services University are pleased to present the 2024 Brain, Behavior, and Mind Lecture: Brain, Behavior, and Mind A Conversation on Where Brain, Behavior, and Mind Meet National Security

General Paul M. Nakasone, U.S. Army (Retired) Former Director, National Security Agency & Chief, Central Security Service Former Commander, U.S. Cyber Command Founding Director, Institute of National Security, Vanderbilt University

This event is on: October 23, 2024, 3:00pm EDT (Virtual)

This event is free and open to the public. Please REGISTER HERE

Climate-related disasters, such as hurricanes, wildfires, and others, are profoundly disruptive events with long-term effects on psychological and behavioral health. CSTS' Deputy Director, Dr. Joshua Morganstein, authored the most contemporary chapter on "Climate-Related Disasters: Impact, Risk, and Interventions", which is part of the recently released textbook Climate Change and Mental Health Equity. This chapter summarizes the science regarding mental health consequences of climate-related disasters, identifies risk and protective factors, and highlights actionable recommendations for interventions to support community members, responders, and leaders.

Coming soon! – The Center's annual Amygdala, Stress, and PTSD Conference will be renamed to better reflect a broad focus on understanding brain, behavior, and mind in the context of stress and resilience, illness and health. Since its inception, the conference has been ambitious in its breadth and diversity, bringing together scientists and clinicians whose work spans from basic, clinical, and community research to public health and healthcare. This exciting environment of mutual curiosity and desire to understand allows us all to be teachers and learners, sharing and acquiring new knowledge.

For previous conferences please go HERE

Now available: A CSTS study indicates that among 1,363 National Guard service members who activated in response to COVID-19 in early 2020, the four work tasks associated with the highest levels of stress were: 1) Patient transportation; 2) Working with the dead; 3) Working with families of COVID-19 patients; and 4) Working with residents in high-risk facilities. These rankings were reflected in work task scaled scores that indicate each task's level of high stress, with scores ranging from 32.8 to 100. These findings reflect the stress inherent in disaster-related work tasks associated with personal involvement with individuals who are sick, dying, or deceased and highlight the importance of supporting personnel involved in these work tasks.

Click HERE for abstract

Dr. Ursano gave a talk in April 2024 as part of the Nuvance Health Department of Psychiatry Grand Rounds. The presentation is titled "Disaster Psychiatry: From Individual to Community" and touches on different types of disasters including natural disasters, COVID-19, and war in the Ukraine.

Immediately available for viewing is the 2023 CSTS Annual Report. In this comprehensive report, you can read summaries of the Center's work to enhance psychological health, speed the recovery from, and help prevent the negative consequences of trauma on individuals, families, communities, and the nation. 

The Francis Scott Key Bridge collapse in Baltimore, MD, and other disasters that result in loss of life, physical harm, and extreme damage to infrastructure, create prolonged uncertainty, social and economic hardships, and have adverse impacts on community functioning. Actions that promote the five essential elements of Psychological First Aid (safety, calming, connectedness, efficacy, and hope) can reduce individual distress and foster community sustainment through this event, as well as other disasters.  Members of the community can help reduce adversity and chronic stressors by helping friends and neighbors impacted by the loss of their job, experiencing increased stress from daily commutes and other disruptions at home, school, and work. Below are brief and easy-to-use education fact sheets with recommended actions to protect the mental health and well-being of individuals and communities impacted by the bridge collapse.

Please click HERE for brief and easy-to-read education fact sheets.

On March 12, PSY Chair COL Vincent Capaldi and Vice Chair for Research Dr. Curt West traveled to Warsaw, Poland to present at the Warfighter Brain Health Symposium. Presenters, in addition to COL Capaldi and Dr. West, include CDP Director Dr. William Brim and School of Medicine faculty members Lt Col Thomas Bayuk, Maj Eric Meyer, Dr. Warren Dorlac, and Dr. John Holcomb. This was the second such effort in recent weeks. In mid-February, the Center for Deployment Psychology  (CDP) and Center for the Study of Traumatic Stress (CSTS) attended the Ukraine Research Needs and Capabilities Symposium (Warsaw, Poland), which welcomed over 40 U.S. and Ukrainian combat casualty care experts to discuss ethical considerations and operational and regulatory controls related to medical research in Ukraine. During the Warsaw trip, Dr. Brim and Psychiatry Professor and CSTS Associate Director Dr. David Benedek presented on current and future mental health training and research in Ukraine. 

Catastrophic disasters, such as late-season severe weather and tornado outbreaks that affected portions of the Southern United States across the states of Arkansas, Missouri, Illinois, Tennessee, and Kentucky, cause suffering and death, as well as extreme disruption and distress for communities. Please click HERE for brief and easy-to-read education fact sheets with recommended actions to protect the mental health and well-being of individuals and communities impacted by the tornadoes.

Dr. Stephen Cozza, Associate Director for the Child and Family Program for CSTS, Professor for Departments of Psychiatry and Pediatrics at USU, was among the many experts at USU who helped lead the development of a new book, Grief and Prolonged Grief Disorder, to help clinicians better understand Prolonged Grief Disorder, which is much longer-lasting and all-consuming compared to typical bereavement. 

Click HERE for more information.

Acts of mass violence, such as the shootings at the bar and bowling alley in Lewiston, Maine, cause extreme disruption within communities. When these events occur in locations people typically go to relax and let down their guard, they can be particularly distressing and undermine a fundamental sense of safety. The subsequent law enforcement search for perpetrator and resulting community lockdown prolong distress and create ongoing disruption and uncertainty. Victims, family, friends, first responders and emergency personnel, as well as community leaders are among those affected. Ongoing and graphic media exposure broaden the impacted disaster “community” far beyond the geographic region of the event.

Please click HERE for resources

Exposure to acts of terrorism and war causes a wide range of harmful mental health effects. Those working with people directly impacted by the Israel-Hamas war or affected communities around the world can protect mental health by using the following evidence-based actions and other resources HERE

In this edition of Research Review (RR), we define food insecurity and describe methods of measuring it, discuss the association between food insecurity and family stress, and suggest how to provide assistance
to families who are struggling with securing adequate food.

Dr. Kalin's Presentation: Brain, Behavior, and Mind Lecture

For more information about Dr. Kalin and the lecture please visit Amygdala, Stress, PTSD Conference site

Catastrophic natural disasters, such as Hurricane Idalia, cause extreme disruption and can be distressful for individuals, families, and communities. For resources please click HERE

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