December 18, 2025
Key Highlights
- The SOAR Study is a major research project in Ohio looking at why people have mental health and drug problems and what helps them stay strong.
- Researchers want to find out why more people are dying from drug overdoses and suicide, and how some people stay healthy even when life is hard.
- The study includes a survey of 15,000 people across Ohio and in-person visits with 1,600 families to learn about their lives, health and what helps them cope.
COLUMBUS, Ohio – Researchers leading the State of Ohio Adversity and Resilience (SOAR Study) have published its protocol in BMJ Open. The SOAR Study is an extensive, multimodal, family-
based longitudinal observational research initiative focused on examining risk factors and resilience related to mental health and substance use disorders.
The statewide research initiative led by The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center, seeks to identify the root causes of the ongoing epidemic of persistent emotional distress, suicide and drug overdose. An initial $20 million grant from The Ohio Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services (OhioMHAS) funded the study that began in 2023.
"Over the past twenty years, deaths from drug overdoses in the United States have increased five-fold, and rates suicide have increased by over a third. These 'deaths of despair' bring enormous social and economic burdens. Despite significant investments and concerted efforts in prevention and treatment, the rates of these deaths continue to climb,” said senior author K. Luan Phan, MD, chair of Ohio State’s Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral health who leads the SOAR Study. “The historic SOAR Study will provide us with a roadmap to address the root causes of these deaths with the goal of saving the lives of Ohioans in their homes, schools, and places of work."
The COVID-19 pandemic has worsened these issues. Certain groups have faced greater challenges, including people living in rural areas, including regions like Appalachia, as well as low-income individuals, essential workers and communities with minority status.
Adversity, neglect, limited opportunities, and trauma are associated with substance use and suicide deaths, though the ways these risks arise differ. However, most at-risk individuals remain resilient and show no symptoms.
“We need to better understand the biological, psychological, social, and environmental factors behind both illness and resilience if we want to improve prevention and treatment for more effective care,” said Phan, who holds the Jeffrey Schottenstein Endowed Chair of Psychiatry and Resilience.
The SOAR Study has two parallel but connected projects:
Wellness Survey
A survey assessment of the mental health of 15,000 Ohioans in all 88 counties.
Brain Health Study
In-person visits with 1,600 families at rural, suburban and urban sites across Ohio
“We have built and are now sustaining a statewide coalition with academic, medical, hospital and community partners to study social, environmental, psychological and biological factors that influence risk and resilience,” said first author Anthony King, PhD, director of the Program for Resilience at Ohio State’s Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Health who also holds the Anne K. “Nancy” Jeffrey Endowed Professorship for Mental Health Equity and Resilience. “The SOAR study aims to produce a framework for developing prevention, treatment and monitoring strategies for those at risk.”
###