The Network Study: Soldiers Connecting for Work and Health

Not Applicable

Recruiting

• Conditions: Depression; Alcohol Use Disorder
• Interventions: Other: Internet-Delivered Brief Intervention

• Registration Number: NCT04463225
• Lead Sponsor: Cornell University

Brief Summary

This study will examine the efficacy of an internet-based brief intervention designed to reduce risky behavior in Soldiers as they transition from Active Duty into the civilian workforce as a Veteran. Up to 700 soldiers intending to separate from the Army will be recruited, with the intention of drawing a final sample of 450 participants. Study participants will be randomly assigned to either the intervention or the control group, stratified by age and gender.

Detailed Description

The combination of alcohol use and negative emotional states is a particularly toxic combination for suicide risk. The current study examines changes in alcohol/drug use/misuse and depression as soldiers undergo the transition from Active Duty to Veteran and offers a personalized internet-based brief intervention intended to prevent/reduce alcohol misuse and depression in this population.

The study's objectives are to empirically quantify the form of changes that occur with respect to alcohol use and depression over the transition; to identify stable individual risk factors (e.g., personality, military experiences) and dynamic risk factors (e.g., changes in stressors and normative contexts over time) that may be associated with differential temporal patterns of suicide-related behavior (i.e., alcohol use/misuse) and cognition (i.e., depression); and lastly, to determine whether a simple, internet-delivered brief intervention shown can reduce risky behavior in the transitioning Veteran population.

Study Timeline

• Study First Submitted: 2020-06-24
• Study First Submitted QC: 2020-07-03
• Study First Posted: 2020-07-09
• Study Start: 2021-03-30
• Status Verified: 2023-05
• Last Update Submitted: 2023-05-24
• Last Update Posted: 2023-05-26
• Primary Completion: 2024-02-28
• Study Completion: 2024-03-31

Recruitment & Eligibility

• Status: RECRUITING
• Sex: All
• Target Recruitment: 450

Inclusion Criteria

• Is US solider intending to separate from active duty during the study enrollment period
• Intends to seek civilian employment
• Plans to live in US

Exclusion Criteria

• Plans to retire and not seek civilian employment
• Plans to live outside of the US
• Is separating or retiring from the National Guard or Reserves

Study & Design

• Study Type: INTERVENTIONAL
• Study Design: PARALLEL

Arm && Interventions

Group	Intervention	Description
Intervention condition	Internet-Delivered Brief Intervention	Participants assigned to the intervention condition will be invited to engage with an internet-based intervention three times during the course of the study.

Primary Outcome Measures

Name	Time	Method
Change in Heavy Episodic Drinking	Through study completion, an average of monthly over 15 months	Description Single Alcohol Screening Question (SASQ) (Williams and Vinson, 2001)
Change in Modal alcohol consumption	Through study completion, an average of monthly over 15 months	Daily Drinking Questionnaire (DDQ) (Collins, Parks, \& Marlatt, 1985)
Change in Negative Emotional State -- Depression	Through study completion, an average of monthly over 15 months	The Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ)-9

Secondary Outcome Measures

Name	Time	Method
Change in Alcohol-related problems	Through study completion, an average of monthly over 15 months	Short Rutgers Alcohol Problems Index (S-RAPI) (Earleywine, LaBrie \& Pedersen)
Change in Suicidal ideation	Through study completion, an average of monthly over 15 months	Measure developed by Nock et al., 2007

Trial Locations

Locations (1)

Joint Base Lewis-McChord; 🇺🇸 Tacoma, Washington, United States