Improving Quality-of-life and Depressive Symptoms of Combat Veterans Via Internet-based Intervention

Summary

Background: Current military involvement in Afghanistan (Operation Enduring Freedom - OEF) and Iraq (Operation Iraqi Freedom - OIF) has created unforeseen burdens on the mental health and well-being of US service women and men. Although OEF/OIF service members and veterans are at high risk of developing sub-threshold combat stress and depressive symptoms or full disorders in the post-deployment period, only a small fraction ever receive care. The VETS PREVAIL Intervention, which combines Cognitive-Behavioral-Therapy-based (CBT-based) coping skills training with peer-to-peer support and counseling, was specifically designed to offer the returning OEF/OIF service member or veteran an accessible and confidential first step to care.

Evaluation Study: RISE Consulting, lead by Dr. Benjamin W. Van Voorhees, MD, MPH, was contracted to supervise a pilot study of potential benefit, feasibility and safety of the VETS PREVAIL Intervention. The study would consist of a single group pre/post comparison study of N=50 recent OEF/OIF veterans in the frame work of a phase 1 clinical trial (phase 1). Feasibility (adherence and satisfaction), evidence of clinical benefit would be evaluated through changes in the following clinical self-report measures: i) symptoms of depressed mood (Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale, CES-D), ii) post traumatic stress disorder (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder Checklist-Military, PCL-M), and iii) functional status (Short Form 12, SF-12), as well as changes in key attitudes toward mental health care seeking (intent to seek treatment, mental health self-efficacy and stigma).

Conditions

• Depression
• Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder
• Functional Status

Interventions

BEHAVIORAL

Vets Prevail

The intervention has two primary components that are both delivered over the Internet: The first component is a structured series of brief peer-to-peer instant messaging "Chats" structured around ensuring effective motivation, engagement, and completion. This component was modeled after Motivational Interviewing (MI) techniques. The peer-to-peer contact was provided by a master's level social worker, as well as by trained and certified combat veterans who completed the Vet-to-Vet counseling certificate program offered by the Depression and Bipolar Support Alliance (DBSA). The second component consists of six 30-minute "e-Learning Lessons" using standard Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) approaches to reducing depressive and anxiety symptoms and strengthening coping skills.

Sponsors & Collaborators

• Rise Consulting, LLC

  collaborator UNKNOWN

• McCormick Foundation

  collaborator UNKNOWN

• Prevail Health Solutions, LLC

  lead INDUSTRY

Principal Investigators

• Benjamin VanVoorhees, MD, MPH · Rise Consulting, LLC

• Brock K Hokenson, MBA · Prevail Health Solutions

Study Design

Allocation

NA

Purpose

PREVENTION

Masking

NONE

Model

SINGLE_GROUP

Eligibility

Min Age

18 Years

Sex

ALL

Healthy Volunteers

No

Timeline & Regulatory

Start

2009-09-30

Primary Completion

2010-02-28

Completion

2010-06-30

Countries

• United States

Study Locations