The Family of Heroes: an Evaluation of an Online Educational Tool

Not Applicable

Completed

• Conditions: PTSD; Post Traumatic Stress Disorder
• Interventions: Behavioral: "Family of Heroes"; Behavioral: Baseline and Follow up Surveys

• Registration Number: NCT01554839
• Lead Sponsor: Department of Veterans Affairs, New Jersey

Brief Summary

The purpose of this study is to evaluate the effectiveness of a unique web based educational tool called "Family of Heroes," which is designed to educate families about Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and provide them with practical tools for interacting with affected veteran family members. The study includes veterans and a family member of their choosing. Participants are randomly assigned to a group which takes the online training or a group that does not take the training. Both groups complete a baseline questionnaire and a follow up questionaire 60 days later. The study will examine the number of Veteran Affairs (VA) mental health visits.

Detailed Description

Not available

Study Timeline

• Study Start: 2011-10
• Study First Submitted: 2012-03-05
• Study First Submitted QC: 2012-03-13
• Study First Posted: 2012-03-15
• Status Verified: 2013-06
• Primary Completion: 2013-06
• Study Completion: 2013-06
• Last Update Submitted: 2015-02-09
• Last Update Posted: 2015-02-10

Recruitment & Eligibility

• Status: COMPLETED
• Sex: All
• Target Recruitment: 206

Inclusion Criteria

• Male or female Operation Iraqi Freedom/ Operation Enduring Freedom (OIF/OEF) veteran
• Positive for PTSD, based on PTSD Checklist (PCL) score greater than or equal to 50
• Availability of a family member who is both willing to participate in the study AND has contact with the veteran 3 or more times per week
• Ability to access a computer with internet access to take educational training and surveys

Exclusion Criteria

• Not and OIF/OEF veteran
• Negative for PTSD, based on PCL score less than 50
• Unavailability of a family member who is both willing to participate in the study or has contact with the veteran 3 or more times per week
• Inability to access a computer with internet access to take the educational training and surveys

Study & Design

• Study Type: INTERVENTIONAL
• Study Design: PARALLEL

Arm && Interventions

Group	Intervention	Description
Treatment Group	Baseline and Follow up Surveys	Treatment group participates in 1 hour online educational tool in addition to baseline and follow up surveys
Non Treatment Group	Baseline and Follow up Surveys	Non Treatment group participates in baseline and follow up surveys
Treatment Group	"Family of Heroes"	Treatment group participates in 1 hour online educational tool in addition to baseline and follow up surveys

Primary Outcome Measures

Name	Time	Method
Mental Health Treatment Engagement	6 months post enrollment	Number of mental health visits attended. Obtained from chart review.

Secondary Outcome Measures

Name	Time	Method
Change in Perceived Criticism Score	Baseline and 2 months	4 questions answered on a scale of 1 to 10; 1 being not at all critical and 10 being very critical.
Change in Family Empowerment Scale Score	Baseline and 2 months	12 questions answered on a scale of 1 through 5. 1 = not true at all, 2 = mostly not true, 3 = somewhat true, 4 = mostly true, and 5 = very true.

Trial Locations

Locations (1)

VANJHCS (Veterans Administration New Jersey Health Care Services); 🇺🇸 Lyons, New Jersey, United States