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Completed

NCT Number: NCT04517994

Implementation of Strength at Home for Military Couples

The Strength at Home Couples program is designed to enhance intimate relationships and prevent intimate partner violence (IPV) among service members and their partners in light of the unique stressors and experiences of this population.

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Key information

Conditions

Intimate Partner Violence Mental Disorders Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorders, Traumatic Trauma and Stressor Related Disorders Wounds and Injuries

Age range

18 year and older

Sex eligibility

All sexes

Study type

Interventional

Phase

Not applicable

Primary location

Joint Base Lewis McChord

Tacoma, Washington, 98431, United States

About this study

A Hybrid Type-I Implementation-effectiveness research design will allow the research team, comprising investigators with expertise in treatment development, efficacy and effectiveness research, and implementation science, to simultaneously investigate the effectiveness of SAH-C in a military population while identifying any barriers to implementation that would need to be addressed before SAH-C could be successfully implemented on a larger scale.

SAH-C derives from a unique fusion of interventions for trauma and IPA, integrating elements of cognitive processing therapy for PTSD,39 couples therapy for PTSD,40 and a cognitive behavioral intervention for IPA.41 SAH-C consists of 10 two-hour weekly sessions, co-led by two therapists. This was the minimum length deemed necessary to incorporate components addressing the proposed IPA mechanisms and is consistent with the briefest IPA interventions.42 During each session, couples are provided assignments to practice skills together and to assist with the consolidation of material. A group couples format is used because group cohesion among clients appears to be associated with IPA prevention.43 Group interventions also use less time and resources than individual-based interventions.

Who can participate

Healthy volunteers accepted: Yes

Only the study team can determine whether someone qualifies for participation.

Inclusion criteria

  • Couples must be in an intimate relationship
  • Must be over the age of 18
  • Both members of the couple report no occurrence of physical IPA in the past 3 months and no severe aggression in the past 12
  • At least one member reports at or below a score of 100 on the Dyadic Adjustment Scale
  • Both members must provide research consent

Exclusion criteria

  • Will be excluded on the basis of reading difficulties that preclude valid completion of the assessment instruments

Treatment and study plan

Active Treatment

Behavioral

See arm description.

Supportive Treatment

Behavioral

See arm description.

Primary outcomes

  1. Domestic Violence Prevention - Revised Conflict Tactics Scale (CTS2)

    Time frame: Intake/Pre-Treatment

    Changes of physical and psychological IPV as evidenced by change in CTS2 responses. Each item response option ranges in value from 0-7 with 0 being the minimum value and 7 being the maximum value. Scale is a 78-item measure with higher scores meaning greater conflict.

  2. Domestic Violence Prevention - Change in CTS2

    Time frame: Post-treatment (after 10 weeks of class)

    Changes of physical and psychological IPV as evidenced by change in CTS2 responses. Each item response option ranges in value from 0-7 with 0 being the minimum value and 7 being the maximum value. Scale is a 78-item measure with higher scores meaning greater conflict.

  3. Domestic Violence Prevention - Change in CTS2

    Time frame: 3-month post-group follow-up (3-months after last class)

    Changes of physical and psychological IPV as evidenced by change in CTS2 responses. Each item response option ranges in value from 0-7 with 0 being the minimum value and 7 being the maximum value. Scale is a 78-item measure with higher scores meaning greater conflict.

  4. Relationship Satisfaction: Dyadic Adjustment Scale

    Time frame: Intake/Pre-Treatment

    Changes in relationship satisfaction as evidenced by answers to the Dyadic Adjustment Scale. Items 1-15 options: Always Agree, Almost Always Agree, Occasionally Disagree, Frequently Disagree, Almost Always Disagree, Always Disagree. Item 16-22: All the Time, Most of the Time, More Often than Not, Rarely, Never. Item 23: Every day, Almost Every Day, Occasionally, Rarely, Never. Item 24: All of them, Most of them, Some of them, Very few of them, None of them. Items 25-28: Never, Less than once a month, Once or twice a month, Once or twice a week, Once a day, More often. Items 29-30: Yes/No. Item 31: Extremely Unhappy, Fairly Unhappy, A Little Unhappy, Happy, Very Happy, Extremely Happy, Perfect. Item 32: six statements in which the participant picks the statement that best describes how they feel about the future of their relationship. Overall score ranges from 0 to 151; higher scores indicating a more positive adjustment and lower level of distress within relationship.

  5. Change in Relationship Satisfaction: Dyadic Adjustment Scale

    Time frame: Post-treatment (after 10 weeks of class)

    Changes in relationship satisfaction as evidenced by answers to the Dyadic Adjustment Scale. Items 1-15 options: Always Agree, Almost Always Agree, Occasionally Disagree, Frequently Disagree, Almost Always Disagree, Always Disagree. Item 16-22: All the Time, Most of the Time, More Often than Not, Rarely, Never. Item 23: Every day, Almost Every Day, Occasionally, Rarely, Never. Item 24: All of them, Most of them, Some of them, Very few of them, None of them. Items 25-28: Never, Less than once a month, Once or twice a month, Once or twice a week, Once a day, More often. Items 29-30: Yes/No. Item 31: Extremely Unhappy, Fairly Unhappy, A Little Unhappy, Happy, Very Happy, Extremely Happy, Perfect. Item 32: six statements in which the participant picks the statement that best describes how they feel about the future of their relationship. Overall score ranges from 0 to 151; higher scores indicating a more positive adjustment and lower level of distress within relationship.

  6. Change in Relationship Satisfaction: Dyadic Adjustment Scale

    Time frame: 3-month post-group follow-up (3-months after last class)

    Changes in relationship satisfaction as evidenced by answers to the Dyadic Adjustment Scale. Items 1-15 options: Always Agree, Almost Always Agree, Occasionally Disagree, Frequently Disagree, Almost Always Disagree, Always Disagree. Item 16-22: All the Time, Most of the Time, More Often than Not, Rarely, Never. Item 23: Every day, Almost Every Day, Occasionally, Rarely, Never. Item 24: All of them, Most of them, Some of them, Very few of them, None of them. Items 25-28: Never, Less than once a month, Once or twice a month, Once or twice a week, Once a day, More often. Items 29-30: Yes/No. Item 31: Extremely Unhappy, Fairly Unhappy, A Little Unhappy, Happy, Very Happy, Extremely Happy, Perfect. Item 32: six statements in which the participant picks the statement that best describes how they feel about the future of their relationship. Overall score ranges from 0 to 151; higher scores indicating a more positive adjustment and lower level of distress within relationship.

  7. Domestic Violence Prevention - Multidimensional Measure of Emotional Abuse (MMEA)

    Time frame: Intake/Pre-Treatment

    Changes of physical and psychological IPV as evidenced by changes in MMEA scores. MMEA is a 28-item measurement tool with scale responses ranging from 0 to 7 where higher scores indicate greater emotional abuse.

  8. Domestic Violence Prevention - Change in MMEA

    Time frame: Post-treatment (after 10 weeks of class)

    Changes of physical and psychological IPV as evidenced by changes in MMEA scores. MMEA is a 28-item measurement tool with scale responses ranging from 0 to 7 where higher scores indicate greater emotional abuse.

  9. Domestic Violence Prevention - Change in MMEA

    Time frame: 3-month post-group follow-up (3-months after last class)

    Changes of physical and psychological IPV as evidenced by changes in MMEA scores. MMEA is a 28-item measurement tool with scale responses ranging from 0 to 7 where higher scores indicate greater emotional abuse.

Secondary outcomes

  1. Suicidal Ideation

    Time frame: Intake/Pre-Treatment

    Changes in suicidal ideation through the suicidality measure asking about suicidal thoughts (the four response options include: I do not have thoughts, Sometimes I have thoughts, Most of the time I have thoughts, and I always have thoughts), suicide attempts (response is a fill in the blank), wish to live/die (the three response options include I have a moderate to strong wish to live/die, I have a weak wish to live/die, and I have no wish to live/die), and belongingness (some items will be reverse scored and the 7-point Likert scale includes 1[Not at all true for me], 2, 3, 4 [Somewhat true for me], 5, 6, 7 [Very true for me]). Lower scores indicate less suicidal ideation.

  2. Suicidal Ideation

    Time frame: Post-treatment (after 10 weeks of class)

    Changes in suicidal ideation through the suicidality measure asking about suicidal thoughts (the four response options include: I do not have thoughts, Sometimes I have thoughts, Most of the time I have thoughts, and I always have thoughts), suicide attempts (response is a fill in the blank), wish to live/die (the three response options include I have a moderate to strong wish to live/die, I have a weak wish to live/die, and I have no wish to live/die), and belongingness (some items will be reverse scored and the 7-point Likert scale includes 1[Not at all true for me], 2, 3, 4 [Somewhat true for me], 5, 6, 7 [Very true for me]). Lower scores indicate less suicidal ideation.

  3. Suicidal Ideation

    Time frame: 3-month post-group follow-up (3-months after last class)

    Changes in suicidal ideation through the suicidality measure asking about suicidal thoughts (the four response options include: I do not have thoughts, Sometimes I have thoughts, Most of the time I have thoughts, and I always have thoughts), suicide attempts (response is a fill in the blank), wish to live/die (the three response options include I have a moderate to strong wish to live/die, I have a weak wish to live/die, and I have no wish to live/die), and belongingness (some items will be reverse scored and the 7-point Likert scale includes 1[Not at all true for me], 2, 3, 4 [Somewhat true for me], 5, 6, 7 [Very true for me]). Lower scores indicate less suicidal ideation.

Sponsors and collaborators

Lead sponsor

Boston VA Research Institute, Inc.

Other

Collaborators

  • United States Department of Defense

Registry information

Official study title

Strength at Home Couples Program to Prevent Military Partner Violence

Important dates

Study start
2015
Primary completion
2021
Study completion
2021
First posted
Aug 19, 2020
Registry last updated
Apr 28, 2022

OpenTrials presents study information sourced from ClinicalTrials.gov. The official registry record should be consulted for the latest information.

View the official ClinicalTrials.gov record (opens in a new tab)

This listing is for discovery and informational purposes only. It is not medical advice, does not guarantee that a study is recruiting, and does not determine eligibility. Contact the study team and a qualified healthcare professional when considering participation.

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