National Guard Outreach and Linkage to Treatment

April 6, 2015 updated by: US Department of Veterans Affairs
This project will add an evaluation/research component to an existing peer outreach program, now implemented for over 1100 soldiers in the Michigan Army National Guard. Preliminary work will be completed in three areas. We will conduct semi-structured interviews with soldiers, Buddies, and National Guard leadership and develop and pilot test survey items relevant to implementation. Further, we will develop and pretest survey items relevant to determining soldier symptomatic and functional status. We will also conduct a small feasibility study, fielding the newly developed survey to a representative sample of recently returned National Guard members from Michigan and Indiana, to determine response rates and veteran willingness to allow access to linkable PDHA/PDHRA data and health services data. Finally, we will construct a merged, de-identified longitudinal dataset comprised of Post-Deployment Health Assessment and Reassessment data, Military Health System/TRICARE, and VA services data from National Guard soldiers in Michigan and comparison states of Indiana and Ohio. This will allow a longitudinal assessment of services initiation and retention for the entire Guard populations in these states.

Study Overview

Status

Completed

Conditions

Detailed Description

Background:

Soldiers returning from Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF) and Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF) commonly experience symptoms of PTSD, depressive disorders, and interpersonal difficulties. Forty-two percent of National Guard (NG) soldiers report symptoms suggesting a need for evaluation. Unfortunately, only half with mental health needs initiate treatment in the VA or elsewhere. Stigma remains an important barrier. Proactive peer outreach may successfully address stigma and facilitate appropriate treatment use. In the recently implemented Michigan Guard Buddy*to*Buddy (B2B) program, all returning MIARNG soldiers are assigned a first-tier "Buddy" from their unit who systematically telephones them to "check in" regarding key areas of functioning and symptoms. Soldiers may also be referred to second-tier Buddies, veterans outside the Guard trained in motivational interviewing and supervised by professional staff. The goal of the program is to identify soldiers in need of evaluation and connect them to care in a timely fashion.

We will conduct preliminary work that will allow us to assess the need for and the feasibility of adding a rigorous evaluation/research component to the B2B program.

Objectives:

The goal of this RRP is to assess the need for AND the feasibility of a larger VA study that would use a strong quasi-experimental design (time series analysis with comparison groups) to examine the impact of the B2B program on returning NG veteran mental health treatment initiation, retention, symptoms, and functional outcomes.

Specific RRP aims are to:

  1. Prepare for and initiate a formative evaluation of the Buddy*to*Buddy program in the Michigan Army National Guard (MI ARNG).
  2. Develop and determine the feasibility of a confidential surveys for National Guard veterans in Michigan and Indiana that elicit information regarding B2B processes (in MI ARNG), VA outreach processes, mental health symptoms, substance use, and treatment initiation and retention.
  3. Construct a de-identified linked dataset consisting of PDHA/PDHRA data, Military Treatment Facility/TRICARE service provider use, and VA service use for MI ARNG and NG soldiers in contiguous states of Indiana and Ohio. Conduct preliminary analyses of these data.

Methods:

Preliminary work will be completed in two areas. We will begin a formative evaluation of the implementation of the B2B program, using an augmented qualitative RE-AIM Plus framework, multiple data sources and data collection techniques, and conducting field observations and interviews with program stakeholders. Personnel at all levels, including NG leadership, Buddies, and soldiers, will be part of this process.

We will also develop and refine survey items relevant to understanding B2B implementation and soldier symptom and functional status. We will test procedures for fielding this survey in Michigan and a comparison state, assessing response rates, and using data to inform the design of a larger study of soldier outcomes.

Study Type

Observational

Enrollment (Actual)

141

Contacts and Locations

This section provides the contact details for those conducting the study, and information on where this study is being conducted.

Study Locations

  • United States
    • Michigan
      • Ann Arbor, Michigan, United States, 48105
        • VA Ann Arbor Healthcare System, Ann Arbor, MI

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Ages Eligible for Study

18 years and older (Adult, Older Adult)

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Yes

Genders Eligible for Study

All

Sampling Method

Non-Probability Sample

Study Population

MI, IN, and OH ARNG

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Returning MI ARNG member participating in the Buddy-to-Buddy program

Exclusion Criteria:

None

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

Cohorts and Interventions

Group / Cohort
Group 1
Michigan State Army National Guard soldiers who have returned from OEF/OIF deployments starting December 2008
Group 2
Indiana State Army National Guard soldiers who have returned from OEF/OIF deployments starting December 2008

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Feasibility-response Rate
Time Frame: Survey was fielded to Michigan National Guard Service Members on three occasions, March 2011, April 2011, and May 2011. The survey was also fielded to Indiana National Guard Service Members on September 2011, October 2011, and November 2011.
Response rate of Soldiers to a mailed survey.
Survey was fielded to Michigan National Guard Service Members on three occasions, March 2011, April 2011, and May 2011. The survey was also fielded to Indiana National Guard Service Members on September 2011, October 2011, and November 2011.

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Depressive Symptoms
Time Frame: Survey was fielded to MIARNG in March 2011 (INARNG in September 2011). Soldiers who did not respond were sent two additional mailings with surveys in April 2011(INANG-October 2011) and May 2011 (INANG-November 2011).
The 21-item Beck Depression Inventory-2nd Edition (BDI-II) was used to assess depressive symptoms. Total score of 0-13 is considered minimal range, 14-19 is mild, 20-28 is moderate, and 29-63 is severe.
Survey was fielded to MIARNG in March 2011 (INARNG in September 2011). Soldiers who did not respond were sent two additional mailings with surveys in April 2011(INANG-October 2011) and May 2011 (INANG-November 2011).
PTSD Symptoms
Time Frame: Survey was fielded to MIARNG in March 2011 (INARNG in September 2011). Soldiers who did not respond were sent two additional mailings with surveys in April 2011(INANG-October 2011) and May 2011 (INANG-November 2011).
The PCL is a 17-item self-report checklist of PTSD symptoms based closely on the DSM-IV criteria. The PCL-M is a military version and questions refer to "a stressful military experience". Total possible scores range from 17 to 85. Higher scores indicate more symptoms of PTSD and a cut-off score of 50 is used for indicating a probable diagnosis of combat-related PTSD.
Survey was fielded to MIARNG in March 2011 (INARNG in September 2011). Soldiers who did not respond were sent two additional mailings with surveys in April 2011(INANG-October 2011) and May 2011 (INANG-November 2011).

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Sponsor

US Department of Veterans Affairs

Investigators

  • Principal Investigator: Marcia T. Valenstein, MD AB, VA Ann Arbor Healthcare System, Ann Arbor, MI

Publications and helpful links

The person responsible for entering information about the study voluntarily provides these publications. These may be about anything related to the study.

General Publications

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start

January 1, 2010

Primary Completion (Actual)

December 1, 2010

Study Completion (Actual)

December 1, 2011

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

November 24, 2009

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

November 25, 2009

First Posted (Estimate)

November 26, 2009

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Estimate)

April 28, 2015

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

April 6, 2015

Last Verified

September 1, 2014

More Information

Terms related to this study

Keywords

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

  • RRP 09-420

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

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