MIRECC / CoE
SERV Study: Survey of Experiences of Returning Veterans
SERV Study
VISN 1 is pleased that Dr. Rani Hoff, PhD, MPH was awarded VA funding from the US Department of Veteran Affairs to conduct this 5-year project to determine whether there are gender differences in how male and female military combat veterans readjust to civilian life.
Objective
An unprecedented number of women have been exposed to combat in the current Iraq and Afghanistan conflicts. There is some concern that women are more susceptible to post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) than men due to prior traumatic experiences. In addition, post-deployment readjustment could be compounded by specific trauma women may have experienced while serving in the military.
This is the first major project to study this phenomenon.
Investigators
- Dr. Rani Hoff, PhD, MPH
- Dr. Hoff is a MIRECC investigator at VA CT Healthcare System as well as acting director of the Northeast Program Evaluation Center (NEPEC).
- In addition, she is also an associate professor of psychiatry at Yale School of Medicine and director of the Women and Trauma research core of Women’s Health Research at Yale (WHRY.)
- Carolyn Mazure, PhD - Co-Investigator
- Professor of Psychiatry and Psychology, and Director of Women’s Health Research at Yale.
- Sherry McKee, PhD - Co-Investigator
- Associate Professor of Psychiatry at Yale School of Medicine
- Crystal Park, PhD - Co-Investigator
- Professor of Psychology at University of Connecticut
Current Status
We have now interviewed over 800 Veterans across the country. Many of them are now completing 3-, 6-, 9-, 12-, 18-, and 24-, 30-, and 36-month follow up surveys. We are very glad that our participants are willing to take our telephone calls, and we are grateful for the information they are providing.
We have now completed initial enrollment, and the project continues for follow up interviews only.
