The purpose of this study is to learn about what factors influence the health and behavior of Soldiers. We are especially interested in learning about what factors help some Soldiers be more resilient to stress and experiences common to Soldiers and what factors lead other Soldiers to die by suicide. We hope that what we learn will lead to improvements in the health and safety of Soldiers in the future.

If Case: Your name was provided as the first line supervisor of a Soldier who died.
If Control: Your name was provided to use by a Soldier who agreed to participate in the SHOS-B study.

We would like you to participate because we think your experience and insights as a first-line supervisor would be valuable in understanding how to help other Soldiers. You may not benefit directly, but you will be helping other Soldiers. You can help.

You will be contacted by telephone by an interviewer from The University of Michigan. Your interview will be done over the telephone, at a time that is convenient to you. The interview will be conducted over the telephone and averages about 70 minutes; your interview may be shorter or longer.
You will be asked questions about a Soldier you supervised. At the end of the interview, there are a few questions about you and your experience.

Participation is voluntary. You may stop participation at any time. You do not have to answer any question you do not want to answer. You can simply say, "I want to skip that question."

No one will see your responses except for the research team. The data collected are confidential and there are many legal and procedural protections in place to protect the data. We will not disclose responses to survey questions to anyone, including other participants. The only exceptions are if you say to a member of the Army STARRS team that you are going to hurt yourself or someone else. Our first priority will be protecting the safety of anyone who might be in danger, including you. Your information would be provided to an Army Chaplain. The Chaplain will contact you for a confidential conversation to assess risk and be there to help. If you are found to require immediate help and you refuse that help, you may be referred for further treatment or help which could result in a loss of confidentiality.
Add If Control: If your survey responses indicate that your Soldier is at imminent risk for self-harm or harm to others, the Soldier will be referred for a confidential consultation. If the Soldier is found to require immediate help and refuses that help, the Soldier’s confidentiality may be compromised.

For some people, answering questions about a Soldier under your command can make them anxious or upset. Other people find it helpful to answer questions in these situations.

You can find more information on the About Army STARRS page.