More than 70 researchers and scholars from across the country and around the world attended the 2011 International Research Symposium on Military Families, held Sept. 27-28 in downtown Indianapolis.
Presented by the Military Family Research Institute and featuring David Riggs, Ph.D., executive director of the Center for Deployment Psychology, the invitation-only symposium brought together leading military and civilian scholars who study issues relevant to military families. This elite panel of researchers presented and discussed cutting-edge research and theory with regard to family sequelae of wounds and injuries, parenting and child outcomes, marital and relationship functioning, and single service members.
Researchers gave presentations on a variety of topics, including post-deployment relational turbulence among military couples; experiences of family and caregivers of wounded veterans; effects of deployment on military children; and lesbian, gay and bisexual military families. In small- and large-group settings, participants offered feedback and commentary to help wwwelop new research insights and agendas.
A number of partners contributed to the success of the symposium, including: Lilly Endowment Inc., the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human wwwelopment, the U.S. Army Medical Research and Material Command, and the Military Operational Medicine Research Program.
An earlier Research Symposium on Military Families yielded a research volume, Risk and Resilience in U.S. Military Families. This year’s event will provide the basis for another publication, due out next year.