The King’s Centre for Military Health Research (KCMHR) is the leading civilian UK centre of excellence for research with the Armed Forces Community. Independent of the Ministry of Defence, Office for Veterans’ Affairs and chain of command, our research has provided much-needed evidence on the health and well-being of serving and ex-serving personnel and their families.
What does KCMHR do?
Our research relates to conflict and health, occupational psychiatry, personnel issues, wellbeing and social policy. We conduct research in four main areas:
• Serving personnel;
• Ex-serving personnel;
• Families of serving and ex-serving personnel;
• Interventions.
We work closely with the Academic Department of Military Mental Health.
Impact and dissemination
Findings from the studies conducted at KCMHR are regularly published in high-impact journals such as the British Medical Journal (BMJ) and the Lancet series. The high-quality of this research is regularly cited by leading research organisations in the UK and used as impact case studies within academia. We strive to ensure that our research is disseminated widely throughout academia but also to military providers, medical professionals, policy makers, charities, and serving and ex-serving personnel and their families.
Our research has contributed to changes on policy and services regarding serving and ex-serving personnel and their families. These include:
• Improved mental health provision for reservists entitling them the same care after deployment as their regular counterparts;
• Armed Forces campaigns on road safety;
• Evidence regarding the delivery of anthrax vaccinations to military personnel;
• Contributing to the Ministry of Defence Armed Forces Families’ Strategy and underlying action plan, the Defence People Mental Health and Wellbeing Strategy 2017-2022 and the Veterans Strategy 2018;
• Contributing to the Mental Health Services for Veterans in England Consultation and Action Plan 2016;
• Influencing the formulation of NHS TILS service and Complex Treatment Services 2017;
• Contributing to international policy in Five Eye Nations, such as the reduction in US deployment lengths from 1 year to 9 months.
Collaboration
KCMHR regularly collaborates with other academic institutions, military charities and government organisations within the UK and internationally to produce high-quality and valued evidence regarding our military population.
If you have an idea for a research project, please email us at kcmhr@kcl.ac.uk.
People
Consultant Psychiatrist & Visiting Professor
Research Assistant & PhD Student
Research Associate
Professor of Epidemiology
Research Assistant
Professor of Defence Mental Health
Projects
DrinksRation
DrinksRation is a smartphone app designed to reduce alcohol misuse in the Armed Forces using digital technology and behavioural change theory.
Health and Wellbeing Cohort Study
A long-term study investigating the health and wellbeing of UK military personnel deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan.
The Bosnia Veterans Study
Cancer risk and mortality in UK Service personnel deployed to Bosnia 1992-1996
The Porton Down Veterans Cohort Study
A study exploring long-term health of former servicemen who were exposed to chemical warfare agents as part of the ‘human volunteer programme’ at Porton Down.
VeteransCHECK
A study investigating the current experiences and impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the health, wellbeing and lifestyle behaviours of ex-serving personnel.
Publications
Highlighted Publications
Intimate partner violence and abuse experience and perpetration in UK military personnel compared to a general population cohort: A cross-sectional study. MacManus, D., Short, R., Lane, R., Jones, M., Hull, L., Howard, L. M. & Fear, N. T., Sep 2022, In: The Lancet Regional Health - Europe. 20, 100448.
Post-Traumatic Growth amongst UK Armed Forces personnel who deployed to Afghanistan and the role of combat injury, mental health and pain: The ADVANCE cohort study. Dyball, D., Bennett, A. N., Schofield, S., Cullinan, P., Boos, C. J., Bull, A. M. J., Stevelink, S. & Fear, N., 12 Jul 2022, (Accepted/In press) In: Psychological Medicine.
Mental health outcomes of male UK military personnel deployed to Afghanistan and the role of combat injury: analysis of baseline data from the ADVANCE cohort study. Jul 2022, In: The Lancet Psychiatry. 9, 7, p. 547-554
Evaluating the Efficacy of the Drinks:Ration Mobile App to Reduce Alcohol Consumption in a Help-Seeking Military Veteran Population: Randomized Controlled Trial. Leightley, D., Williamson, C., Rona, R. J., Carr, E., Shearer, J., Davis, J. P., Simms, A., Fear, N. T., Goodwin, L. & Murphy, D., 1 Jun 2022, In: JMIR mHealth and uHealth. 10, 6, e38991.
Recruiting Military Veterans into Alcohol Misuse Research: The Role of Social Media and Facebook Advertising. Williamson, C., Rona, R., Simms, A., Fear, N., Goodwin, L., Murphy, D. & Leightley, D., 11 May 2022, (E-pub ahead of print) In: TELEMEDICINE JOURNAL AND E-HEALTH.
To find more KCMHR & ADMMH publications, please visit our page on the King's research portal.
Activities
Real Stories 2024
Staff at KCMHR are delighted to launch 'Real Stories 2024', an initiative which captures, via images, the diverse experiences that form the rich tapestry of military life. This online catalogue, comprised of a series of photographs, poetry and prose, provides a unique insight into what life is like for the UK Armed Forces community today. The theme of the 2024 open call was ‘Capturing Meaningful Life Events’.
News
20-year study finds rates of PTSD and common mental disorders on the rise in Armed Forces personnel and veterans
The latest research from the King’s Centre for Military Health Research (KCMHR), King’s College London and commissioned by the Office for Veterans’ Affairs...
The interplay between serious physical combat injuries, leaving military service and suicidal ideation
Findings from ADVANCE study, looked at suicidal ideation within UK military personnel who sustained a serious physical combat injury on deployment in...
The Princess Royal attends the 2024 Veterans' Mental Health Conference
On Tuesday 14 May 2024, Her Royal Highness The Princess Royal attended the 2024 Veterans’ Mental Health Conference, organised by the King’s Centre for...
King's Centre for Military Health Research and Forces in Mind Trust Research Centre host Australian Minister of Veterans' Affairs
Australian government delegation met with centres' researchers to hear about the ongoing work and support for veterans.
Restore and Rebuild therapy shows potential as treatment for moral injury in UK Armed Forces
New research from the King’s Centre for Military Health Research (KCMHR) and Combat Stress, the UK’s leading veterans’ mental health charity, has shown that a...
People
Consultant Psychiatrist & Visiting Professor
Research Assistant & PhD Student
Research Associate
Professor of Epidemiology
Research Assistant
Professor of Defence Mental Health
Projects
DrinksRation
DrinksRation is a smartphone app designed to reduce alcohol misuse in the Armed Forces using digital technology and behavioural change theory.
Health and Wellbeing Cohort Study
A long-term study investigating the health and wellbeing of UK military personnel deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan.
The Bosnia Veterans Study
Cancer risk and mortality in UK Service personnel deployed to Bosnia 1992-1996
The Porton Down Veterans Cohort Study
A study exploring long-term health of former servicemen who were exposed to chemical warfare agents as part of the ‘human volunteer programme’ at Porton Down.
VeteransCHECK
A study investigating the current experiences and impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the health, wellbeing and lifestyle behaviours of ex-serving personnel.
Publications
Highlighted Publications
Intimate partner violence and abuse experience and perpetration in UK military personnel compared to a general population cohort: A cross-sectional study. MacManus, D., Short, R., Lane, R., Jones, M., Hull, L., Howard, L. M. & Fear, N. T., Sep 2022, In: The Lancet Regional Health - Europe. 20, 100448.
Post-Traumatic Growth amongst UK Armed Forces personnel who deployed to Afghanistan and the role of combat injury, mental health and pain: The ADVANCE cohort study. Dyball, D., Bennett, A. N., Schofield, S., Cullinan, P., Boos, C. J., Bull, A. M. J., Stevelink, S. & Fear, N., 12 Jul 2022, (Accepted/In press) In: Psychological Medicine.
Mental health outcomes of male UK military personnel deployed to Afghanistan and the role of combat injury: analysis of baseline data from the ADVANCE cohort study. Jul 2022, In: The Lancet Psychiatry. 9, 7, p. 547-554
Evaluating the Efficacy of the Drinks:Ration Mobile App to Reduce Alcohol Consumption in a Help-Seeking Military Veteran Population: Randomized Controlled Trial. Leightley, D., Williamson, C., Rona, R. J., Carr, E., Shearer, J., Davis, J. P., Simms, A., Fear, N. T., Goodwin, L. & Murphy, D., 1 Jun 2022, In: JMIR mHealth and uHealth. 10, 6, e38991.
Recruiting Military Veterans into Alcohol Misuse Research: The Role of Social Media and Facebook Advertising. Williamson, C., Rona, R., Simms, A., Fear, N., Goodwin, L., Murphy, D. & Leightley, D., 11 May 2022, (E-pub ahead of print) In: TELEMEDICINE JOURNAL AND E-HEALTH.
To find more KCMHR & ADMMH publications, please visit our page on the King's research portal.
Activities
Real Stories 2024
Staff at KCMHR are delighted to launch 'Real Stories 2024', an initiative which captures, via images, the diverse experiences that form the rich tapestry of military life. This online catalogue, comprised of a series of photographs, poetry and prose, provides a unique insight into what life is like for the UK Armed Forces community today. The theme of the 2024 open call was ‘Capturing Meaningful Life Events’.
News
20-year study finds rates of PTSD and common mental disorders on the rise in Armed Forces personnel and veterans
The latest research from the King’s Centre for Military Health Research (KCMHR), King’s College London and commissioned by the Office for Veterans’ Affairs...
The interplay between serious physical combat injuries, leaving military service and suicidal ideation
Findings from ADVANCE study, looked at suicidal ideation within UK military personnel who sustained a serious physical combat injury on deployment in...
The Princess Royal attends the 2024 Veterans' Mental Health Conference
On Tuesday 14 May 2024, Her Royal Highness The Princess Royal attended the 2024 Veterans’ Mental Health Conference, organised by the King’s Centre for...
King's Centre for Military Health Research and Forces in Mind Trust Research Centre host Australian Minister of Veterans' Affairs
Australian government delegation met with centres' researchers to hear about the ongoing work and support for veterans.
Restore and Rebuild therapy shows potential as treatment for moral injury in UK Armed Forces
New research from the King’s Centre for Military Health Research (KCMHR) and Combat Stress, the UK’s leading veterans’ mental health charity, has shown that a...
Group leads
Professor of Epidemiology
Regius Professor of Psychiatry