Access to Army STARRS and STARRS-LS Data
This page will provide updated information, as rapidly as it becomes available, on public access to STARRS data. The Principal Investigators are committed to the public availability of the STARRS data.
UPDATE: In October 2023, STARRS-LS Wave 3 survey data were added to the public use data.
UPDATE: In August 2020, STARRS-LS Wave 2 survey data were added to the public use data.
UPDATE: In December 2019, STARRS-LS Wave 1 survey data were added to the public use data.
UPDATE: In October 2019, survey data for the Pre/Post Deployment Study (PPDS) were added to the public use data.
UPDATE: In December 2018, neurocognitive test score data were added to the public use data for participants in the New Soldiers Study who completed neurocognitive tests.
Access to STARRS Survey Data
Public use datasets of Army STARRS survey data are available through the Inter-university Consortium for Political and Social Research (ICPSR) at the University of Michigan. ICPSR can currently provide data from three Army STARRS surveys: the All Army Study (AAS), the New Soldier Study (NSS), and the Pre/Post Deployment Study (PPDS).
All Army Study (AAS)
From January 2011 to April 2013, the Army STARRS research team recruited active duty Soldiers for the All Army Study (AAS). Survey data were collected from all AAS respondents. See our instruments page for a copy of the AAS questionnaire. The AAS included representative Army-wide samples of Soldiers across all phases of Army service in quarterly samples. Early quarterly replicates were restricted to Soldiers not deployed to a combat theater but individual Soldiers serving in Afghanistan were subsequently included in AAS subsamples surveyed in Kuwait during mid-tour breaks from March 2012 to September 2012. Initial AAS replicates also excluded U.S. Army National Guard and Reserve and Army Reserve units, but these units were added in 2013. The AAS survey data are available for 21,449 Soldiers.
New Soldiers Study (NSS)
From February 2011 to November 2012, the Army STARRS research team recruited Soldiers for the New Soldier Study (NSS) in which questionnaire data were collected from new Soldiers during the first few days of their entry into the Army. The New Soldier Study survey data are available for 38,507 Soldiers. See our instruments page for a copy of the NSS questionnaires.
Pre/Post Deployment Study (PPDS)
From January 2012 to April 2014, the Army STARRS research team recruited Soldiers for the Pre/Post Deployment Study (PPDS). The PPDS was a four-wave longitudinal study designed to follow deploying Soldiers over time to assess the effects of deployment. PPDS involved three Brigade Combat Teams (BCTs) at JBLM, Ft. Bragg and Ft. Carson about to be deployed to Afghanistan. PPDS included questionnaire administration at four different time-points (one pre-deployment and three post-deployment).
The four data collection time-points for PPDS were:
- Pre-deployment Time 0 (T0) at ~2-3 weeks before deployment
- Post-deployment Time 1 (T1) at ~2-3 weeks following redeployment
- Post-deployment Time 2 (T2) at ~2-3 months following redeployment
PPDS questionnaire data are available for:
- 8,558 Soldiers at Time 0
- 7,269 Soldiers at Time 1
- 6,550 Soldiers at Time 2
- 6,826 Soldiers at Time 3
See our instruments page for a copy of the PPDS questionnaires.
STARRS – Longitudinal Study (STARRS-LS)
STARRS-LS is a four-wave longitudinal study designed to follow a cohort of Soldiers who participated in the three largest studies within Army STARRS (the All Army Study, the New Soldier Study and the Pre/Post Deployment Study). Under STARRS-LS, four waves of questionnaires are being administered over an eight-year period (from 2016 to 2024) to allow continued follow-up of Soldiers during their careers in the Army as well as during their transition from the Army back to civilian life, for those who leave he Army.
- Questionnaire data from the Wave 1 survey are available for 14,508 Soldiers
- Questionnaire data from the Wave 2 survey are available for 12,156 Soldiers
- Questionnaire data from the Wave 3 survey are available for 11,119 Soldiers
See our Instruments page for copies of the Wave 1 and Wave 2 questionnaires.
February 9, 2017 ICPSR Webinar
The ICPSR conducted a webinar on Feb. 9, 2017 entitled “An Introduction to the Army STARRS Survey Data” that included a description of how to access and use the Army STARRS publicly available survey data. A recording of the webinar is available on ICPSR's YouTube channel at the following link.
The webinar slides are available at this link.
Four Army STARRS methods papers that were published in the International Journal of Methods in Psychiatric Research in 2013 are available at this link. These four articles are important and very useful to anyone planning to utilize the Army STARRS public access data.