Strength at Home Couples Program (PTSD-Focused Relationship Enhancement Therapy for Returning Veterans)
Condition: Aggression; Post Traumatic Stress Disorders
MeSH terms: Stress Disorders, Traumatic; Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic; Aggression
Study type: Interventional

Summary: 
      The purpose of the project is to develop and test a couples-based relationship enhancement
      group intervention for married or partnered Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF)/Operation Iraqi
      Freedom (OIF)/Operation New Dawn (OND) veterans to prevent the perpetration of intimate
      partner aggression (IPA) among participants.
    

Detailed description: 
      The focus of this project is to produce a well-defined and standardized intervention, labeled
      Strength at Home Couples Group, that can improve intimate relationship satisfaction, decrease
      the likelihood of relationship aggression, increase the intimacy and closeness of the
      relationship, and help with anger management. We hope to learn more about how to improve
      relationships, how to prevent anger and violence, and about what factors help people
      successfully complete treatment. Strength at Home Couples Group will incorporate components
      of several interventions for PTSD and IPA and will target mechanisms implicated in the
      PTSD-IPA association. The development of this type of integrated intervention is critical due
      to high rates of PTSD-IPA co-occurrence and the pressing need to efficiently address both
      problems among military veterans. Specific aims of this project are: (1) to develop and
      standardize Strength at Home Couples Group for male combat veterans, including the
      development of a clinician-friendly intervention manual detailing Strength at Home Couples
      Group, along with intervention adherence measures and therapist training and certification
      procedures; (2) to test the efficacy of Strength at Home Couples Group for OEF/OIF/OND
      veterans by conducting a multiple site randomized trial comparing 10 sessions of Strength at
      Home Couples Group to 10 sessions of a supportive group therapy (ST) condition; and (3) to
      explore differences in compliance and process factors across conditions.
    

Intervention name(s): Strength at Home Couples Group; Supportive Group Therapy
Intervention type(s): Behavioral; Behavioral
Intervention description(s): A multiple site randomized trial will compare 10 sessions of PF-RET to 10 sessions of a supportive group therapy. PF-RET focuses on 1) deployment stress and traumatic experiences impacting intimate relationships; 2) communication between intimate partners; 3) conflict and anger management; and 4) closeness and intimacy.; A general support group designed to enhance support for healthy relationship building.
Other intervention name(s): PTSD-Focused Relationship Enhancement Therapy; Returning Veterans and Partners; Psychological/Behavioral Placebo Control
Allocation: Randomized
Intervention model: Parallel Assignment
Masking: Double (Participant, Outcomes Assessor)
Primary purpose: Prevention
Keywords: Intimate partner aggression; Couples intervention; PTSD; Veterans; Prevention; Violence Prevention; Prevention of pertetration of intimate partner aggression.