(TNS) — A University of Idaho lab has received $1.3 million from the Department of Defense to study how to use machine learning algorithms to detect post-traumatic stress disorder and stressors in military families early.
As part of a larger study with universities across the country, Assistant Professor Colin Hsu’s lab at the University of Idaho will focus on developing machine learning models to interpret biological data from military personnel and determine who is at higher risk of developing PTSD and which treatments are effective.
“If we can proactively identify who is at risk, we can help people get the treatments that matter to them sooner and get better with fewer resources,” said Schuh.
About 7 percent of veterans will suffer from PTSD at some point in their lives, and the rate for female veterans is 13 percent, according to the National Veterans Administration website. The likelihood of being affected varies depending on the era of military service. Veterans from the early 2000s to mid-2010s have a 29% chance of developing the disorder at some point in their lives.
The lifetime rate of PTSD in the general population is thought to be approximately 6%.
Clinical psychologist and university professor Jamie Derrick said determining who is at higher risk of developing the disorder could help at-risk people become more resilient to “frightening or life-threatening” events they face.
“Most people wait until something goes wrong before they really invest in treatment,” she said. “And I think prevention is really important. It’s really important. Investing in it will help people live healthier, happier lives.”
But mental disorders are not uniform among those affected, Derrick said. Flashbacks of traumatic events are one of the well-known symptoms of PTSD, but rumination, fearful physical sensations, insomnia, and mood swings are also common signs, and symptoms manifest differently in different people.
Although clinical applications are a long way off, a key part of Xu’s research is determining whether there are different subtypes of PTSD, perhaps with different symptoms, that can be detected through data from hormone patches and vital monitoring watches.
“The long-term goal is…rather than just saying, ‘Here are three, four, five treatments, pick one at random and hope it works,'” he later added, “in reality, treatment options tend to be based on accessibility and patient preference.” “We have this personalized medicine model where we can say, ‘Based on these biomarker data provided by wearing this patch for several weeks, you are like this type and therefore this treatment is more likely to respond than other treatments.'”
Xu, who holds a Ph.D. in psychology, has historically studied antidepressants, and recently conducted research to determine who is more likely to experience drug side effects. He plans to use similar research techniques in his PTSD study, but he can’t develop the software without biological data from participants’ watches and hormone monitors.
An additional $4.8 million in federal grants will fund the creation of hormone monitors and wristbands that collect information about the wearer’s biology at Tufts University, and researchers at Walter Reed Uniformed Services University and Northwestern University will recruit military personnel with or without disabilities who are willing to wear the monitors.
In a related research project, Xu’s lab received $361,000 of a total of $1.9 million in federal funding to examine how military personnel heading to and returning from deployment impact family violence, substance abuse, suicide rates, and other negative family health outcomes.
Similar to the goal of PTSD research, knowing which family members may be at higher risk in some way due to family unfolding events has implications for harm prevention, Xu said. This project relies on existing medical records.
“So we might be able to keep a close eye on these people and make sure they have more peer support resources,” he said. “Please check on them more actively to minimize the risk of such health problems.”
The PTSD Project is scheduled to conclude in 2029, and the Military Family Health Project analysis is scheduled for 2028.
Of the total $1.3 million in Department of Defense funding, the majority will go toward hiring two doctoral researchers and three graduate students.
Anyone interested in stories about PTSD and military families should contact Xu at colinxu@uidaho.edu.
This article was updated on January 14 to clarify one of Jamie Derrick’s statements.
© 2026 The Spokesman-Review (Spokane, WA). Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
