The Role Self and Perceived Stigma of Military Identity

The Center for Family and Community Engagement (CFACE) is proud to announce our director, Dr. Sarah L. Desmarais, and our postdoctoral research scholar, Dr. Sam Cacace, have been featured on The Chaplaincy Innovation Lab’s website for their work on self and perceived stigma of military identity; the first study of its kind. Previous work has highlighted stigma against mental health issues in military populations, but never on the value of understanding how stigma against one’s ingrained military values itself as a barrier to help-seeking and community integration. A brief synopsis of their work can be found as a featured current project. Dr. Desmarais and Dr. Cacace are doing incredible work that supports the health and well-being of our nation’s military service members, both past and present.  

The current study is funded through North Carolina State University. This project addresses the need for research dedicated to the role of military identity, and self and perceived stigma, when it comes to the reluctance to seek help for a variety of mental health problems. Participants for this study consist of 350-400 active-duty military members and veterans. Be sure to learn more about their amazing project by clicking here.

The Chaplaincy Innovation Lab is headquartered at Brandeis University in Waltham, Massachusetts, and promotes spiritual care in a variety of ways, including partnering with other project leaders, hosting project leader roundtable discussions, and boosting the signal for current work surrounding spiritual health, including that of military service members and veterans.

For more information on Dr. Sarah L. Desmarais and Dr. Sam Cacace, please visit their staff profiles.