WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. —The Military Family Research Institute (MFRI) at Purdue University today announced the finalists for the Thompson Award, which recognizes the most important and innovative research studies on military and veteran families published in the prior year.
This year’s finalists, selected for their significant contributions to military family research, include:
- Examining Strength at Home Couples to Prevent Intimate Partner Violence on a Military Installation: A randomized Controlled Trial authored by Casey Taft, Emily Rothman, Matthew Gallagher, Evelyn Hamilton, Anissa Garza and Suzannah Creech
- Gender role reversal: Civilian husbands of U.S. military servicewomen as tied-migrant workers authored by Emily Dowling, Jeffrey Jackson and Ashley Landers
- Parenting Profiles in Military Families: Intervention-Related Transitions and Relationships to Child Adjustment authored by Sun-Kyung Lee, Abigail Gewirtz and Timothy Piehler.
- Replication and extension of the military family stress model: The after deployment adaptive parenting tools ADAPT4U study authored by Cheuk Cheng, Neveen Ali-Saleh Darawshy, Susanne Lee, Hayley Brigman, Dave DeGarmo and Abigail Gewirtz
- The role of problem solving appraisal and support in the relationship between stress exposure and posttraumatic stress symptoms of military spouses and service member partners authored by Katherine Sullivan, Yangjin Park, Sabrina Richardson, Valerie Stander and James Jaccard
Each finalist has demonstrated excellence in research, significantly contributing to the visibility of military and veteran family issues, enhancing the impact of scientific evidence on related programs and policies, and fostering connections between researchers and practitioners in this important field. This year’s finalists were selected out of over 800 eligible articles.
The winner of the award will be announced at the Thompson Forum.
The Thompson Forum
The Thompson Forum brings together leading researchers, non-profits, policymakers, and business leaders to foster connections and partnerships that advance research and practice. The 2025 Forum will be held Tuesday, December 9, 10:00 a.m. – 2:30 p.m. ET at the Association for the United States Army (AUSA) headquarters in Arlington, Virginia. Attendance is free and open to all, but registration is required at https://purdue.link/thompson-rsvp.
The Thompson Award
Established in 2015 as the Excellence in Research on Military and Veteran Families Award, The Thompson Award recognizes the best new research on military and veteran families each year. Finalists are selected through a rigorous, multi-stage review process by a panel of leading scholars, and the winner is announced at The Thompson Forum.
About MFRI
Founded in 2000, the Military Family Research Institute (MFRI) at Purdue University conducts research on issues that affect military and veteran families and works to shape policies, programs and practices that improve their well-being. MFRI envisions a diverse support community that understands and addresses the most pressing needs of military and veteran families. To achieve this, MFRI collaborates to create meaningful solutions for them. This internationally recognized organization is housed in Purdue University’s College of Health and Human Sciences, in the Department of Human Development and Family Science.