Military family research

Research on Canadian military families is crucial to:

• support these families,
• guide community partnerships,
• allocate resources more effectively, and
• deliver services which meet family needs.

The following research institutions and programs support military family research:

Canadian Institute for Military and Veteran Health Research

The Canadian Institute for Military and Veteran Health Research (CIMVHR) supports Canadian health research, partnerships, and knowledge sharing. The Institute’s research enhances the lives of Canadian military personnel, veterans, and their families by way of its national and international research capacity. The CIMVHR has 1,700 individual researchers, 46 Canadian university partners, and 13 global affiliates. Its research is published in the Journal of Military, Veteran and Family Health. This is an online, open access, and peer-reviewed scholarly journal. 

The Vanier Institute of the Family

The Vanier Institute is an important partner of the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF), playing a key role in building military literacy in Canadian communities. In 2012, the Institute partnered with the CAF to establish the Military and Veteran Families in Canada Initiative. This initiative aims to grow partnerships and develop collaborations, resources, and programs for military and veteran families. This Initiative also increases awareness of the unique challenges and stressors military and veteran families face.

The Canadian Military and Veteran Families Leadership Circle is part of the Military and Veteran Families in Canada Initiative. The Leadership Circle works to connect the CAF with researchers, practitioners, service providers, business, government, community, and philanthropic organizations. Visit the Military and Veteran Families in Canada Initiative webpage for a list of the Leadership Circle’s member organizations and resources for military and veteran families.

Military Family Services, Canadian Forces Morale and Welfare Services

Military Family Services, a division of the Canadian Forces Morale and Welfare Services (CFMWS), conducted research to develop the Comprehensive Military Family Plan. For more information, visit the Comprehensive Military Family Plan.

CFMWS also provides public access to military family research findings, such as:

• the state of military families in Canada,
• the Canadian Armed Forces community needs assessment,
• research on military families, and
• studies completed by the Director General Military Personnel Research and Analysis.