Behavioral Economics Intervention to Increase Treatment Seeking in the National Guard

Study Overview
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Brief Summary
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The study is a randomized controlled trial of a single-session behavioral economics (research combining the areas of economics, social psychology, and cognitive psychology) intervention (i.e., BEAST) is awarrior-culture consistent (i.e., focusing on positive soldier traits, solving practical problems), highly scalable, and extremely brief (10-minute) intervention to encourage treatment seeking among MS National Guard problems for various life stressors. Participants will be 112 National Guard members. It is hypothesized that BEAST will lead to more self-reported motivation to seek treatment and more actual treatment seeking behavior.

Official Title
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Behavioral Economics Intervention to Increase Treatment Seeking in the National Guard

Conditions
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Treatment Refusal

Intervention / Treatment
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* Behavioral: BEAST
* Behavioral: Descriptive Feedback


Participation Criteria
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Eligibility Criteria
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Inclusion Criteria: National Guard active > 17 ACSS-FAD Exclusion Criteria: those determined by military or study personnel to be actively psychotic, manic, or who are imminently suicidal and in need of emergency services.

Ages Eligible for Study
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Minimum Age: 18 Years
Maximum Age: 65 Years

Sexes Eligible for Study
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All

Accepts Healthy Volunteers
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No

Study Plan
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How is the study designed?
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Design Details

Primary Purpose: Treatment
Allocation: Randomized
Intervention Model: Parallel Assignment
Masking: Single


Arms and Interventions

| Participant Group/Arm | Intervention/Treatment |
| --- | --- |
| Experimental: BEAST<br>There are 3 parts to BEAST. Part 1 involves the Behavioral Nudge technique using previously collected injunctive and descriptive norms from a National Guard sample. Soldiers will be given a customized feedback form that shows norms relevant to the target behavior they selected. The soldier will be given a chance to ask any follow-up questions. Part 2 of the intervention focuses on the principle of targeting others, considering how a change would impact those closest to them. Part 3 will utilize the Reciprocal Concessions procedure combined with the Reducing Barriers technique. | Behavioral: BEAST<br>* See Arm Description<br>|
| Active Comparator: Descriptive Feedback<br>This condition will involve a presentation of descriptive data based on the soldiers' tests scores and an opportunity to ask any follow-up questions. This process is a component of some behavioral change interventions (e.g., motivational interviewing); therefore this should be a more useful control condition (mirroring parts 1 and 2 of the active condition) versus a more passive or waitlist control condition. Participants in the control condition will also be given standard referral information to the USM Psychology Clinic (mirroring part 3 of the active condition). | Behavioral: Descriptive Feedback<br>* See Arm Description<br>|

What is the study measuring?
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Primary Outcome Measures

| Outcome Measure | Measure Description | Time Frame |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Psychosocial Treatments Interview-Revised | Measure changes in treatment seeking behavior | 1 month post intervention | 
| University of Rhode Island Change Assessment | Measure motivation to change the target behavior | 1 month post intervention | 

Secondary Outcome Measures

| Outcome Measure | Measure Description | Time Frame |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Psychosocial Treatments Interview-Revised | Measure changes in treatment seeking behavior | 3 month post intervention | 
| University of Rhode Island Change Assessment | Measure motivation to change the target behavior | 3 month post intervention |