Motivating Treatment Seeking and Behavior Change by Untreated Military Personnel
Abstract
The WCU is a randomized clinical trial evaluating the novel adaptation of telephone delivered motivational enhancement therapy for an Army population. The intervention is designed to reach soldiers with untreated substance use disorders, engage them in a brief discussion about their substance use behaviors, and build motivation to change problematic behaviors, limit use, and/or engage in treatment or formalized self help. The trial will enroll 240 active-duty soldiers at Joint Base Lewis McChord (JBLM) and test the intervention against a matched-attention control of treatment as usual, administered in the form of non-personalized educational information. As of this report s submission (30 September 2013), the trial has enrolled 210 soldiers and is on track to reach the target enrollment numbers. As the trial is currently underway, primary outcomes (behavior change and treatment enrollment) have not yet been analyzed. However, preliminary analysis of focus groups, screening and baseline data have yielded reportable findings. We have developed qualitative recommendations for creating a culturally competent recruitment/outreach campaign for soldiers with untreated behavioral health needs. This analysis has been disseminated through a conference presentation and journal publication. Additionally, baseline data has shown a high degree of untreated mental health concerns (anxiety, depression and PTSD symptoms) in the recruited sample. This finding suggests that substance abuse services may benefit the military by expanding their scope to address co-morbid psychopathologies common to active-duty personnel. Finally, synthetic marijuana ( Spice ) has been prevalent in the sample. Moreover, data has shown that soldiers perceive Spice use to be prevalent among fellow soldiers. Soldiers perceive its use to be more prevalent within the military than among civilians. The perception that Spice cannot be detected through urinalysis contributes to its actual and perceived prevalence
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Sep 01, 2014
- Accession Number
- ADA610838
Entities
People
- Denise D. Walker
Organizations
- University of Washington