Better Together: A Primary Prevention Intervention Targeting Transdiagnostic Interpersonal Emotion Regulation among Military Couples
Abstract
Although military Service members (SMs) typically have lower rates of psychiatric diagnoses than civilians, SMs have consistently shown elevated rates of suicidal thoughts and behaviors, alcohol abuse, and aggression tied to intimate partner violence (IPV). A core driver of all of these adverse events is emotion dysregulation, which is characterized by difficulties in understanding, accepting, and adaptively coping with experienced emotions. The broad objective of this project is to develop and preliminarily evaluate Get Better Together, a relationship enrichment program designed to equip SMs and their romantic partners with evidence-informed strategies to adaptively cope with stressors as a unified team, serving as a primary prevention intervention for psychological distress related to suicide risk, alcohol and substance abuse, and intimate partner violence. During Phase 1, Get Better Together curriculum and materials will be developed in collaboration with military stakeholders and content experts. Phase 2 will be comprised of a single-arm open trial with 40 Navy couples to demonstrate the feasibility, acceptability, and preliminary effects of the program. Finally, Phase 3 will consist of revising Get Better Together based upon facilitator and participant feedback and disseminating information, materials, and training to facilitate rapid implementation of Get Better Together.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Oct 25, 2022
- Accession Number
- AD1191239
Entities
People
- Sarah Carter
Organizations
- Henry M. Jackson Foundation for the Advancement of Military Medicine