The Military Family Research Institute (MFRI) at Purdue University has named the winner of the 2025 Thompson Award. The winning research, titled “Examining strength at home couples to prevent intimate partner violence on a military installation: A randomized controlled trial,” looked at the impact of participation in the Strength at Home Couples (SAH-C) program, which is a trauma-informed, evidence-based program for relationship enhancement and partner violence prevention. It found that service members who took part in SAH-C had bigger decreases in all forms of intimate partner violence (including physical harm, emotional abuse and sexual violence) compared to those who did not take part in the program. Both service members and their partners in the SAH-C program also reported fewer suicidal thoughts and behaviors.
The Thompson Award is one of the most selective honors in the field of military and veteran family research. Each year, a large panel of esteemed scholars evaluates every relevant article published during the eligible year, using a rigorous, multi-round review process and standardized criteria. Out of more than 800 articles reviewed, only 11 were recognized for their exceptional contributions.
Principal author Casey Taft, a psychologist at the National Center for PTSD in the VA Boston Healthcare System and Professor of Psychiatry at Boston University School, published the winning paper with co-authors Emily F. Rothman, Professor and Chair of the Occupational Therapy Department at Boston University, and Suzannah Creech, research psychologist at the Central Texas VA and the VA VISN 17 Center of Excellence and Associate Dean for Research Strategic Initiatives at the Dell Medical School of University of Texas at Austin. The researchers published their article in January 2024 in the Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology.
The Thompson Award was presented on December 9 during the Thompson Forum, held at the Association of the United States Army (AUSA) Headquarters in Arlington, VA. The event honored this year’s featured research, followed by two compelling panel discussions designed to drive innovation and collaboration. In the morning, finalists shared their groundbreaking findings and explored actionable implications for policy and practice. The afternoon brought together leaders from military family-focused nonprofits and organizations to discuss how research fuels their work, address challenges and gaps in data, and identify opportunities for partnerships.
More information on this year’s featured research and a full recording of the 2025 Thompson Forum can be found at mfri.purdue.edu/thompson.