The Department of Defense funds research to support female service members’ physical and psychological well-being. Find below a brief overview of some key studies relevant to female service members funded by the Military Operational Medicine Research Program. Given the specific objectives and timelines of the studies, the final study results may not be published for several years.

Millennium Cohort Program: Focus on Women

Begun in 2001, this is the largest longitudinal health study in military history. A total of 61,794 female service members (30.6%; N=201,619) were enrolled in each of the four panels (2001, 2004, 2007, 2011). Psychological studies focus on prior lifetime assault and PTSD, depression, and anxiety; the impact of sexual trauma; maternal depression; disordered eating; and headache disorders. Findings to date include:

• Women reporting sexual assault while in the military had nearly twice the risk of relapse to unhealthy alcohol use, and women reporting sexual harassment or assault were twice as likely to report poorer mental health.
• No gender differences were found for the likelihood of developing PTSD among combat and non-combat deployed service members.

Millennium Cohort Family Study

Designed to understand the composition and evaluate the health of military families. Of the 9,872 opposite-sex couples enrolled:  

• 13 percent of the study couples are female service members with a male spouse.
• 87 percent of the study couples are male service members with a female spouse; 1,015 (10 percent) of the female spouses served in the military.
• 18 percent of the study couples are dual military couples

Find additional information on psychological health treatment findings in our Psych Health Evidence Briefs.

Find additional information on identifying and promoting evidence-based psychological health practices on our evidence synthesis page.