Life Skills Training for Soldiers Arriving at Their First Duty Location

Summary

This project will evaluate the effectiveness of Level Up: Boost Your Life Skills ("Level Up"), a strengths based, military-specific life skills training program. The goal is to determine whether Level Up can decrease suicidal-related behaviors (SRBs) and other harmful behaviors, improve mental health, enhance job performance, and reduce early military separation. The Level Up program components will be made available to participants through an online platform or mobile app that can be downloaded onto their personal mobile devices. These training materials will help Soldiers learn and practice skills. The Level Up program will also involve personalized messages from a Level Up trainer and virtual booster sessions. Soldiers arriving at their first duty location will be randomized to receive either Level Up or a single session Army bystander intervention program. Participants will complete baseline and follow up surveys 1, 3, and 6 months post-baseline.

Conditions

• Risk Reduction Behavior
• Suicide Prevention
• Risky Behavior
• Mental Health
• Resilience
• Performance at Work

Interventions

BEHAVIORAL

Level Up

The Level Up program components include: * A 90-minute live group session during Soldiers' in-processing week at their first duty station * A mobile app/online platform/workbook with brief, interactive self-guided exercises in core skill areas (e.g., managing stress, tactical thinking, healthy relationships) * Personalized coaching via messages from trained Level Up staff during the first month of app use * Virtual booster sessions over one year, focused on practical domains like finances, leadership, promotion tips, and personal relationships

BEHAVIORAL

ENGAGE

ENGAGE training is a single 90-minute workshop aimed at developing leadership skills and confidence in handling professional and personal confrontations.

Sponsors & Collaborators

• Defense Health Agency

  collaborator FED

• Harvard University

  collaborator OTHER

• Henry M. Jackson Foundation for the Advancement of Military Medicine

  collaborator OTHER

• Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center

  collaborator OTHER

• Massachusetts General Hospital

  collaborator OTHER

• Walter Reed Army Institute of Research (WRAIR)

  collaborator FED

• University of Michigan

  collaborator OTHER

• Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences

  lead FED

Principal Investigators

• Thomas H Nassif, PhD · Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences

Study Design

Allocation

RANDOMIZED

Purpose

PREVENTION

Masking

NONE

Model

PARALLEL

Eligibility

Min Age

18 Years

Sex

ALL

Healthy Volunteers

Yes

Timeline & Regulatory

Start

2025-12-10

Primary Completion

2028-07-01

Completion

2029-07-01

Countries

• United States

Study Locations