Evaluation of a Brief Marriage Intervention for Internal Behavioral Health Consultants in Military Primary Care
Abstract
The most challenging community problems faced by senior military leaders are closely linked to the quality of marriage relationships.These include family violence, spouse maltreatment, and suicide. Despite the potential high costs of chronic marital distress, very few couples seek therapy. Thus, there is a substantial need in the military for early detection and preventative care for deteriorating couples. The Marriage Checkup (MC)addresses this issue by providing a less-threatening option for couples to seek early preventative care before they have begun to identify as distressed. In our pilot study the original MC was adapted for military couples and fit into the fast-paced environment of primary care. The results of the pilot study provide preliminary evidence suggesting that the MC can be effectively adapted to a military population, and successfully used by behavioral health consultants (BHCs) working in an integrated primary care clinic. The overall purpose of the current study was to build on the pilot study findings by conducting a randomized trial of the military-adapted MC delivered in primary care by BHCs. Specific Aims of the study were (1) conduct a randomized trial comparing MC for use in military primary care clinics to a wait list control condition, (2) examine the effects of MC participation on relationship health at post-treatment and a six-month follow-up period, and (3) determine whether the MC is successful at reaching couples at risk for marital deterioration who would otherwise be unlikely to seek traditional couple counseling. The randomized trial was conducted at four military primary care clinics at Lackland, Andrews, Luke, Randolph, and Wright-Patterson Air Force Bases.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- May 01, 2020
- Accession Number
- AD1106324
Entities
People
- Jeffrey A. Cigrang
Organizations
- Wright State University