Longitudinal Investigation of Gender, Health and Trauma (LIGHT) Survey

The National Center for PTSD (NCPTSD) was recently allocated funds by Congress to be used for research on prevention and treatment of PTSD. The original language of the legislation states the following: “The committee recognizes the importance of the VA National Center for PTSD in promoting better prevention, diagnoses, and treatment of PTSD. The Committee further recognizes the importance of this research for Veterans, their family members and those experiencing community violence. The Committee encourages the National Center to conduct further research on the effects of PTSD for veterans who live in communities affected by violence, particularly in low-income areas and communities of color.” In response to this, we have developed a study that aims at understanding the effects of trauma and community violence on US veterans, particularly women and racial minority veterans. The importance of this research cannot be over-stated as veterans living in high crime areas, racial minority veterans, and women veterans are often under-represented in studies querying mental health effects of trauma. Information gathered from this study will contribute to knowledge about factors that predict development of mental and physical health disorders as well as how individuals are access and utilize healthcare. This information will directly inform intervention efforts aimed at prevention or treatment of chronic disorders such as PTSD, depression, and substance/alcohol use disorders, particularly in underserved portions of our veteran population. This study will further provide information as to what may interfere with Veterans’ ability to obtain needed health care for mental and physical health problems. This type of information can inform system-wide interventions that can maximize Veterans’ likelihood of receiving timely and evidence-based healthcare, preventing long-term health problems. As such, legal authority for this data collection is found under 38 USC, Part I, Chapter 5, Section 527, authorizing the collection of data that will allow for measurement and evaluation of the Department of Veterans Affairs Programs, the goal of which is improved healthcare for veterans.

The latest form for Longitudinal Investigation of Gender, Health and Trauma (LIGHT) Survey expires 2022-07-31 and can be found here.