About Participation

The U.S. Department of Defense determined a need to collect data to better understand the health and well-being of military-connected adolescents. The Millennium Cohort Study of Adolescent Resilience (SOAR) is designed to determine if, and how, military experiences impact adolescents’ health and well-being. This study also provides a unique opportunity to explore the impact of military experiences on parenting and the parent-adolescent relationship. The study is embedded within the larger Millennium Cohort Program, which includes the Millennium Cohort Study of service members and veterans and the Family Study of military spouses. Millennium Cohort Study participants with adolescent children were invited to participate in this study. A comprehensive understanding of the challenges faced by military-connected adolescents and their parents can inform support programs and services. Participation in this study is completely voluntary.

Participants who were referred by their parents who took the very first SOAR survey are eligible to take part in the follow-up survey. You will receive a $25 Amazon gift code after completing the first follow-up survey.

The Millennium Cohort Study of Adolescent Resilience (SOAR) is a project sponsored by the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD). The study is being conducted by the Naval Health Research Center in San Diego, California.

The purpose of this study is to assess the impact of military experiences on adolescents’ health and well-being. There are a limited number of participants in this study, so every individual response is needed for this to be a successful study. Your participation is a critical step in developing programs and services to increase the well-being of military-connected youth.

There is minimal risk to participating in this study. These risks could include possible discomfort in answering questions of a sensitive nature and data breach. You are able to skip any questions you do not wish to answer. All data are maintained securely on servers meeting DoD security standards (see "How safe is my information" below). Your answers are confidential and will not be shared with military commands, disability evaluators, insurance companies, or anyone not directly involved in data analysis. Only summary information from the entire sample, with no identifying information, will be published.

SOAR is designed as a longitudinal study, where follow-up surveys are administered to adolescents every 18-24 months spanning adolescence and early adulthood (approximately 5-7 follow-up surveys). Your choice to participate in this study is completely independent of your choice to accept or reject any future research invitations. You are free to withdraw from this study at any time by contacting the study Principal Investigator. However, your continued input in the study will be of great value to the advancement of military support services.

If you move, we ask that you contact us via email to update your new contact information.

Very safe. The information you provide on your survey is protected and stored in conjunction with a Subject ID number instead of your name. Only researchers working on this study have access to the data. Information stored on computers is protected by all measures required by DoD computer security regulations. Additionally, information cannot be obtained through requests from organizations such as insurance companies.

No. The scientific validity of this study requires researchers to follow certain protocols, which means that only those who receive invitations can participate in this study. However, the information gleaned from this study will be applicable to military-connected families with adolescent children.