Participate in our research remotely from anywhere in the United States!
Researchers at the University of California, Irvine (UCI) are conducting a study that is looking at how deployment experiences affect military families. We are looking for military families with a child age 7‐16 in which the father experienced a traumatic event while on deployment. Both parents and the child must agree to participate in the study.
The study is fully remote. The father and child will complete interviews, self‐report questionnaires, saliva collection, and monitor their sleep for one week. The mother will complete questionnaires. The family is compensated $350 for their time ($220 gift card for dad, $100 gift card for mom, and $30 gift card for child). By participating, you can help us learn new ways to improve care for military families.
For more information, please see our Frequently Asked Questions below.
| If you are interested in participating, please contact us at: (949) 870-9249 or ucimilitaryfamily@gmail.com. You may also indicate interest by completing this interest form: https://tinyurl.com/militaryfamilystudy You can also help us by sharing this information with families you know who would benefit from participating! |
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Frequently Asked Questions
Q: Who can participate in this study?
A: An eligible family must meet the following criteria:
- Father is a veteran or US service member who deployed
- Father and mother have a biological child between the ages of 7 and 16 years old
- Father, mother, and child all agree to participate in the study
Q: What does the study involve?
A: The study is fully remote, and all research materials will be shipped to your home at no cost to you. Over one week, each family member will complete different tasks:
- Fathers will complete a psychological interview on zoom, online questionnaires, provide a saliva sample, and monitor their sleep with a wrist device and sleep diaries for one week
- Children will complete a brief interview on zoom, online questionnaires, provide a saliva sample, and monitor their sleep with a wrist device and sleep diaries for one week
- Mothers will complete a series of online questionnaires
Q: How do I know if my family is eligible?
A: Research staff will schedule a 30-minute phone screen with you to tell you more about the study and determine your eligibility. Please complete our interest form (https://tinyurl.com/militaryfamilystudy) and we will reach out to you to schedule a call.
Q: Do all members of my family have to participate?
A: Yes, the biological father, biological mother, and one biological child must all agree to participate in the study.
Q: What if I have multiple children between 7 and 16 years old?
A: Only one of your children will participate in the study. During the phone screen, we will ask questions about all of your children who are between 7 and 16 years old. We’ll then determine which child is the best fit for the study.
Q: Do I have to go into the lab to participate in this study?
A: No, this study is fully remote and will be completed from your home. We will send you a research kit in the mail with all required materials including a pre-paid return envelope. We will also have an onboarding Zoom call with you to explain the study and walk you through the procedures.
Q: Does the study involve any treatments or procedures?
A: The study does not involve any treatment and there are no invasive procedures. Any family member can choose to stop the study at any time if they are not comfortable.
Q: What if I enroll in the study and then change my mind later about participating? Am I allowed to stop participation?
A: Any family member can choose to stop participating in the study at any time if they’re not comfortable.
Q: Do I have to pay anything to participate?
A: No, all research materials will be shipped to your home at no cost to you. You will return these materials to our lab using a pre-paid shipping label and return packaging.
Q: How will I be compensated for participating?
A: Each family member will get to choose either an Amazon or a Target gift card. The father receives a $220 gift card, the mother receives a $100 gift card, and the child receives a $30 gift card. The gift cards will be sent to each family member via email.
Q: Can veteran mothers participate in this study? Why does the study only include veteran fathers?
A: The current study is a small pilot study. One of the things we’re interested in exploring is how biological factors are involved in the transmission of trauma from parents to children. This is why we’re collecting saliva as part of the study. Biological transmission may be very different between mothers and fathers, so we sadly don’t have the ability to examine both fathers and mothers in this small study. Most of the existing research is on transmission from mothers to children. So for this study, we’re hoping to be one of the first studies to explore how fathers’ deployment experiences impact their children. Our hope is that the results of this pilot study will allow us to conduct a larger study where we could explore both mothers and fathers who deploy.
For any additional questions, please contact us at (949) 870-9249 or ucimilitaryfamily@gmail.com.