An interventional study of Telephone support groups and Education webinars in Military Personnel, Family Members and Resilience, Psychological, sponsored by Memphis VA Medical Center. Completed at 1 site in United States. Open to participants aged 18 Years and older, including healthy volunteers. Per ClinicalTrials.gov, last updated 2017-11-24.
Sponsored by Memphis VA Medical Center · Not applicable, Interventional, and Treatment
Deployment impacts both service member and family, and the cost can be high. Spouses' reactions to deployment may include emotional distress, loneliness, anticipatory fear or grief, somatic complaints, and depression. The goal is to help spouses learn ways to manage stress and solve problems related to deployment and reintegration, communication, managing long distance relationships, and other common problems. The study will compare telephone support groups to online education sessions. The study will enroll 160 spouses. In the Telephone Support groups, a group leader and participants will meet 12 times over six months to focus on education, skills building and support. Education Only online sessions will provide the same education content, without skills building or support. Content includes strategies to reduce or eliminate communication difficulties during deployment, how to find help; practical concerns during deployment; fostering resilience and decreasing stress; fostering relationships while apart, negotiating roles and relationships; changes during deployment; strategies to support the spouse and the service member; and cues to alert spouses when to seek mental health services for the family or themselves. Outcomes will include resilience, depression, anxiety and coping behaviors. Telephone data collection will be conducted at baseline, six and twelve months.
Exclusion Criteria:
Telephone support groups, each with participants and a trained group leader. Each hour-long telephone group will meet bi-monthly for six months for a total of 12 meetings. Groups are structured with education, skills building, and support. Participants will receive and use a Spouse Workbook with information and activities.
Behavioral: Telephone support groups
Education Webinar session topics are the same that are covered in the intervention arm without telephone interaction/support and skills building components. Each session is 30-minutes. Each participant receives a Spouse Workbook with information and activities.
Other: Education webinars
Spouse Self-report of Resilience
Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale (CD-RISC) measured at baseline, 6 and 12 months. Scores range from 0-100. Higher scores equal greater resilience.
Time frame: Baseline, 6 months
Spouse Self Report of Anxiety
Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD-7) measured at baseline, 6 and 12 months. Scores range from 0 to 21; higher scores equal more anxiety.
Time frame: baseline, and 6 months
Spouse Self Report of Depression
Patient Health Questionnaire - Depression (PHQ)-9 measured at baseline, 6 and 12 months. Scores range from 0-27 with higher scores indicating more depressive symptoms.
Time frame: Baseline, 6 months
| Milestone | Telephone Support Groups | Education Webinars |
|---|---|---|
| Started | 80 | 81 |
| Completed | 80 | 81 |
| Not completed | 0 | 0 |
Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale (CD-RISC) measured at baseline, 6 and 12 months. Scores range from 0-100. Higher scores equal greater resilience.
| units on a scale | Telephone Support Groups | Education Webinars |
|---|---|---|
| Resilience scores at baseline | 75.4 ± 1.3 | 75.9 ± 1.3 |
| Resilience scores at 6 months | 78.5 ± 1.1 | 81.0 ± 1.1 |
Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD-7) measured at baseline, 6 and 12 months. Scores range from 0 to 21; higher scores equal more anxiety.
| units on a scale | Telephone Support Groups | Education Webinars |
|---|---|---|
| Participants 'Anxiety baseline baseline scores | 6.0 ± 0.5 | 7.3 ± 0.5 |
| Participants' Anxiety scores at 6 months | 5.3 ± 0.6 | 4.9 ± 0.6 |
Patient Health Questionnaire - Depression (PHQ)-9 measured at baseline, 6 and 12 months. Scores range from 0-27 with higher scores indicating more depressive symptoms.
| units on a scale | Telephone Support Groups | Education Webinars |
|---|---|---|
| Participants' baseline scores | 5.5 ± 0.6 | 6.6 ± 0.6 |
| Participants' scores at 6 months | 3.8 ± 0.5 | 3.8 ± 0.5 |
Non-serious events are listed at a 0% frequency threshold.
| Group | Deaths | Serious | Other |
|---|---|---|---|
| Telephone Support Groups | 0/80 (0%) | 0/80 (0%) | 0/80 (0%) |
| Education Webinars | 0/81 (0%) | 0/81 (0%) | 0/81 (0%) |
| Age, Continuous(years) | Telephone Support Groups | Education Webinars | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mean | 35.6 ± 8.4 | 35.5 ± 8.4 | 35.6 ± 8.2 |
| Sex: Female, Male(Participants) | Telephone Support Groups | Education Webinars | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Female | 78 | 79 | 157 |
| Male | 2 | 2 | 4 |
| Ethnicity (NIH/OMB)(Participants) | Telephone Support Groups | Education Webinars | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hispanic or Latino | 15 | 10 | 25 |
| Not Hispanic or Latino | 65 | 71 | 136 |
| Unknown or Not Reported | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Race (NIH/OMB)(Participants) | Telephone Support Groups | Education Webinars | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| American Indian or Alaska Native | 2 | 1 | 3 |
| Asian | 2 | 4 | 6 |
| Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Black or African American | 8 | 5 | 13 |
| White | 63 | 65 | 128 |
| More than one race | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Unknown or Not Reported | 5 | 6 | 11 |
| Region of Enrollment(Participants) | Telephone Support Groups | Education Webinars | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| United States | 80 | 81 | 161 |
Plan to share: No
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Memphis VA Medical Center