Traumatic Stress Studies

A high priority research area lies in determining the health and wellbeing of Australian Defence Force members and veterans.

Given the intensity of exposures and risks with current conflicts particularly Afghanistan, there is a challenging need to identify emerging adverse health trends to implement early intervention and future preventive strategies.

Core capabilities

Military health surveillance research:

• Design
• Implementation
• Reporting

Neurobiological markers of stress and trauma – measurement and analysis of:

• Biological 
• Neurocognitive
• Physical health
• Clinical 
• Survey data

Key collaborations

• Department of Defence
• Department of Veteran’s Affairs
• Defence Science and Technology Group
• Defence Research and Development Canada 
• Canadian Institute for Military and Veteran Health Research

Current projects and partners

• The Transition & Wellbeing Research Programme (Defence, DVA)
• Evaluation of Biological Markers of Traumatic Stress Risk and Resilience (Defence, DVA, DRDC)
• Jointly funded and supervised PhD: Neurocognitive and Neurobiological Profiles of Elite Military Forces (DSTG)

Key contact

Prof Alexander McFarlane
Email: alexander.mcfarlane@adelaide.edu.au
Phone: +61 8 8313 5200

Centre for Traumatic Stress Studies, Adelaide Medical School