Reducing Crises and Suicide Within the Idaho Army National Guard
Trial statusRecruiting
Trial phaseNot applicable
Trial typeInterventional
Biological sexAll
Age18+
SponsorUniversity of Rochester
About this trial
Military suicide is an ongoing public health concern, particularly within the Army National Guard (ARNG), with longstanding effects on fellow soldiers, family, and friends. The straddling of military and civilian worlds for ARNG can worsen risk factors for suicide, including increased social isolation, disruption to family life, and employment difficulties. One promising framework that addresses both unit cohesion and social support is the First Line Leaders (FLL) program, recently designated by ARNG for nation-wide dissemination. The program is centered on enhancing the relationship between junior enlisted soldiers (JES) and their assigned non-commissioned officer (NCO). The Investigators propose to study an augmented FLL program that includes templated guides developed in collaboration with Idaho ARNG stakeholders. The guides, referred to as TAP (Total Health Action Plan), were adapted from two empirically based interventions, Crisis Response Planning and Problem-Solving Therapy, and consist of prompts for open communication and effective engagement and guidelines for responding to impending or current behavioral distress. Given their elevated suicide risk, the Idaho ARNG is a crucial setting to develop this upstream intervention.
In this study, the Investigators propose to compare the augmented FLL + TAP program to FLL only, and training as usual (n= 50 NCOs and 100 JES per group) with quarterly assessments for up to one year. The Investigators will examine a random selection of deidentified counseling templates to examine the type and frequency of counseling sessions involving acute crisis and behavioral health difficulties, and online ratings from a random selection of JES using validated instruments to assess upstream indicators of behavioral distress and suicide risk and resilience. The Investigators will also conduct qualitative interviews with a random selection of 20% of the NCOs (n = 30) and JES (n = 60) enrolled in the project to provide personalized perspectives of program experiences.
The Investigators propose three aims to guide this research. (1) Collaborate with Idaho ARNG stakeholders to integrate TAP into FLL programming via: a) development and refinement of TAP training materials, b) building templated counseling statements that align with FLL and TAP, and c) education of Idaho ARNG training cadre in the delivery of TAP. (2) Evaluate fidelity, feasibility, and acceptability of FLL and FLL + TAP through a mixed methods approach of qualitative interviews with FLLs and JESs and evaluation of data from templated counseling sessions. (3) Examine the impact of FLL+TAP versus FLL versus training as usual on unit morale, cohesion, and general functioning.
Eligibility criteria
This trial accepts healthy volunteersQualifiers
Enlistment or commission in the Idaho ARNG at the time of enrollment
Age 18 or greater
Ability to complete all study questionnaires and interview procedures
Has at least one year remaining on National Guard contract
Disqualifiers
None
Trial design
Design model
Parallel
Treatments tested in this trial
Crisis Intervention - The First Line Leaders (FLL) program will utilize templated guides developed with stakeholders from the Idaho Army National Guard (ARNG), known as the Total Health Action Plan (T
BehavioralThe Investigators are developing training programs for soldiers and leaders to enhance their communication skills, problem-solving abilities, and approachability. They will be randomized to one of three different groups.
Treatment groups
450 Participants
are divided into 3 treatment groupsGroup A: FLL + TAPActive comparator 1 intervention
Group B: FLLActive comparator 1 intervention
Group C: No FLLNo intervention 0 interventions
Trial outcomes
Primary outcomes
1
Mean change in Fidelity to TAP.
Fidelity to TAP will be assessed by examining counseling statements where an intervention was completed on the templated counseling statement forms generated by our Stakeholder Advisory Board (SAB) using a Likert-type scale (e.g., 1 = poor fidelity, 5 = excellent fidelity). The total range of possible scores is from 1 to 5, with higher scores indicating better fidelity.
Time frame
Baseline, Month 3, Month 6, Month 9, and, Month 12.2
Estimate of TAP usage at Follow-Up Assessments
Participants will be asked to complete a survey item assessing how many times they used a TAP during the 3-, 6-, 9-, and 12-month follow-up visits. Response options will range from 0 to 99. The higher the score, the more TAPs the participant estimates they used during the given assessment period.
Time frame
Baseline, Month 3, Month 6, Month 9, and Month 123
Mean satisfaction with TAP while in the FLL training program
Participants will be asked to complete a survey called Client Satisfaction Questionnaire (CSQ). CSQ items are rated on a Likert-type scale that ranges from 0 to 4, with the higher total score indicating greater satisfaction with the intervention.
Time frame
Baseline, Month 3, Month 6, Month 9, and, Month 12Sponsors and contacts
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University of Rochester
Lead sponsor
Idaho Army National Guard
Collaborator
Source ClinicalTrials.gov