RAND Experts Available to Discuss Challenges Facing Military Members, Spouses and Their Children

April is the "Month of the Military Child," a national initiative to support and honor America's service members and their families. The celebration is being recognized with events around the country, and is a key national initiative of First Lady Michelle Obama.

Experts from the RAND Center for Military Health Policy Research and the RAND Forces and Resources Policy Center are available to discuss a variety of issues and challenges faced by military members, spouses, and their children.

For example, recent RAND research has found:

• Delivery of evidence-based care to all veterans with PTSD or depression would pay for itself—or even save money—within two years by improving productivity and reducing medical and mortality costs.
• Army children whose parents have deployed 19 months or more since 2001 score lower on standardized tests than other Army children whose parents have deployed for shorter periods of time.
• A greater percentage of children from a sample of military families suffered from emotional difficulty and anxiety symptoms compared to other children their age.

Terri Tanielian is a senior social research analyst and director of the RAND Center for Military Health Policy Research.

John Winkler is a senior behavioral scientist and director of the RAND Forces and Resources Policy Center.

Anita Chandra is manager of the RAND Behavioral and Social Sciences Group and author of "Views from the Homefront: The Experiences of Youth and Spouses from Military Families."

Amy Richardson is a policy researcher and co-author of "Effects of Soldiers' Deployment on Children's Academic Performance and Behavioral Health."

Lisa Jaycox is a senior behavioral scientist and author of "Views from the Homefront: How Military Youth and Spouses Are Coping with Deployment."

Benjamin Karney is an adjunct behavioral scientist and author of "Families Under Stress: An Assessment of Data, Theory, and Research on Marriage and Divorce in the Military."

Nelson Lim is a senior behavioral/social scientist and co-author of "Measuring Underemployment Among Military Spouses."

Sarah Meadows is a social scientist and professor at the Pardee RAND Graduate School. She is the author of "Military Families: What We Know and What We Don't Know."

Laura Miller is a senior social scientist and author of "A New Approach for Assessing the Needs of Service Members and Their Families."

Robin Weinick is associate director of RAND Health and author of "Programs Addressing Psychological Health and Traumatic Brain Injury Among U.S. Military Servicemembers and Their Families."

Gail Zellman is a senior research psychologist and practicing clinical psychologist, and lead author of "Options for Improving the Military Child Care System."