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OpenTrials
Completed

NCT Number: NCT01828983

Telephone Support During Overseas Deployment for Military Spouses

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.

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Key information

Conditions

Military Personnel Behavior Behavioral Symptoms Deployment Depression Family Members Resilience, Psychological

Age range

18 year and older

Sex eligibility

All sexes

Study type

Interventional

Phase

Not applicable

Primary location

Memphis VA Medical Center

Memphis, Tennessee, 38104, United States

Who can participate

Healthy volunteers accepted: Yes

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

Inclusion criteria

  • spouse or significant other (living as married for at least one year before deployment) of an overseas deployed military service member
  • deployed at least six months

Exclusion criteria

  • living as married for at least one year before deployment

Treatment and study plan

Telephone support groups

Behavioral

Education webinars

Other

Primary outcomes

  1. Spouse Self-report of Resilience

    Time frame: Baseline, 6 months

    Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale (CD-RISC) measured at baseline, 6 and 12 months. Scores range from 0-100. Higher scores equal greater resilience.

  2. Spouse Self Report of Anxiety

    Time frame: baseline, and 6 months

    Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD-7) measured at baseline, 6 and 12 months. Scores range from 0 to 21; higher scores equal more anxiety.

  3. Spouse Self Report of Depression

    Time frame: Baseline, 6 months

    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.

Sponsors and collaborators

Lead sponsor

Memphis VA Medical Center

Fed

Collaborators

  • United States Department of Defense

Registry information

Important dates

Study start
2011
Primary completion
2014
Study completion
2015
First posted
Apr 11, 2013
Registry last updated
Nov 24, 2017

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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