In 2026, Military Medicine—the official journal of the Association of Military Surgeons of the United States, published by Oxford University Press—published a peer‑reviewed study evaluating Mission Belonging's More Than One Story (MTOS) program. The study, titled “Poetry Online Engagement Among Military-Connected Individuals and Impact on Suicidality,” was conducted by a multidisciplinary team of military and academic physicians and researchers: CAPT Adam K. Saperstein; COL Jessica Bunin (Ret.); Lauren Roehr; ENS Sophia Utsinger; Salvatore Sidoti, PhD; and Kamna S. Balhara, MD, MA. It was reviewed and determined exempt by the Institutional Review Board of the Uniformed Services University (IRB Protocol PMB 25‑22468).
MTOS is a monthly, virtual, poetry‑based Community of Practice for military‑connected individuals, funded in part through the VA’s SSG Parker Gordon Fox Suicide Prevention Grant Program. Over a 12‑month enrollment window (February 2023 through February 2024), 38 servicemembers and veterans who completed both pre‑ and post‑participation surveys were evaluated using three validated psychometric instruments: the Columbia Suicide Severity Rating Scale (C‑SSRS), the Patient Health Questionnaire‑9 (PHQ‑9), and the DeJong Gierveld Loneliness Scale‑6. Mission Belonging staff—including CEO Seema Reza, Director of Programs Ashy Palliparambil, MTOS Program Manager Alexis Laryea, and Program & Outreach Coordinator Haley Bannister—are acknowledged in the publication for their contributions and their dedication to the care of military servicemembers and veterans.
Clear Evidence of Reduced Suicidal Ideation
The study’s findings confirmed what Mission Belonging’s community has long understood: structured creative engagement measurably reduces suicidal ideation among veterans and servicemembers.
Independent research found that participation in MTOS was associated with a significant reduction in suicidal ideation severity. The proportion of participants reporting no suicidal ideation nearly doubled, increasing from 20% before participation to 37.5% afterward. At the same time, the proportion of participants experiencing high‑risk suicidal ideation dropped sharply, from 15% to just 2.5%.
These results also reinforce the value of Mission Belonging’s programmatic design. The study found significant benefits for participants who attended four or more sessions, highlighting the importance of sustained engagement, peer‑community structure, and facilitation by experienced professional artists.
As lead researcher COL (Ret.) Jessica Bunin noted:
“A virtual, poetry-based CoP may provide a scalable, non-clinical pathway to reduce suicidality among veterans and servicemembers. These findings suggest that structured creative engagement can improve high-risk mental health outcomes while fostering community, offering a promising upstream adjunct to traditional clinical care.”
Why This Research Matters
Mission Belonging has long operated from the belief that art saves lives. For years, that belief rested on participant testimony and facilitator intuition. In an evidence‑driven funding environment, we knew our most important claims needed validation. This independent study—conducted by researchers at respected military medical institutions—provides that validation and strengthens the case for the practices that produced these outcomes.
Next Steps: Building a Deeper Evidence Base
The study’s limitations point directly toward the next phase of Mission Belonging’s research. We are seeking additional funding to:
- Enroll a larger, more demographically diverse cohort
- Include a control condition
- Track session‑level attendance to establish a clearer dose‑response relationship
- Measure whether reductions in suicidal ideation hold over time
We also aim to conduct a multi‑methods study that pairs qualitative research with psychometric data. This will allow us to understand why this works—not just that it works—and identify which specific elements of the poetry Community of Practice are driving outcomes.
A Measurable Pathway to Belonging
This research marks an important milestone for Mission Belonging. It confirms that structured creative engagement can meaningfully reduce suicidal ideation among military‑connected individuals and offers a promising non‑clinical pathway for improving high‑risk mental health outcomes. Most importantly, it affirms what our participants have shown us for years: when people gather to write, connection deepens, loneliness decreases, and lives begin to shift.
Mission Belonging will continue expanding this work—strengthening programming, advancing research, and ensuring that veterans and servicemembers have access to communities where belonging can take root.
