Considerations Around the Use of Intensive Outpatient Programs for Service Members Who Experienced Sexual Trauma in the U.S. Military.

Section 702 of the fiscal year 2019 National Defense Authorization Act directed the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) to conduct a pilot study to assess the feasibility and advisability of using intensive outpatient treatment programs to address posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and associated mental health problems among service members who have experienced sexual harassment or sexual assault while in the military.

Study protocol for a sequential multiple assignment randomized trial to reduce risky drinking among service members and their partners.

Background: Military spouses and partners in relationships with a heavy drinking service member report high levels of mental health concerns and consequences, which are compounded when both partners drink heavily. Military spouses and partners -termed "concerned partners" (CPs)-may be an important gateway for motivating service members (SMs) to seek care. However, CPs may first need to reduce their own drinking and improve their communication to effectively support and encourage changes for their service member partner.

Identifying Research Gaps and Prioritizing Psychological Health Evidence Synthesis Needs.

Background: Evidence synthesis is key in promoting evidence-based health care, but it is resource-intense. Methods are needed to identify and prioritize evidence synthesis needs within health care systems. We describe a collaboration between an agency charged with facilitating the implementation of evidence-based research and practices across the Military Health System and a research center specializing in evidence synthesis.

Exploring the association between changes in partner behaviors, perceived service member drinking, and relationship quality: Secondary analysis of a web-based intervention for military partners.

Problematic drinking is a serious and persistent problem among U.S. military service members and veterans, who face barriers to seeking help and are less likely to seek help than the civilian population.

Efficacy of a Web-based Intervention for Concerned Spouses of Service Members and Veterans with Alcohol Misuse.

Concerned partners (CPs) of service members and veterans who misuse alcohol face help-seeking barriers and mental health problems. We used multiple regression to evaluate the efficacy of Partners Connect, a four-session web-based intervention (WBI) to address military CPs' mental health and communication. We randomized 312 CPs to the WBI or a control group.

The Feasibility of a Web Intervention for Military and Veteran Spouses Concerned About Their Partner's Alcohol Misuse.

Concerned partners (CPs) of military service members and veterans with alcohol misuse face significant help-seeking barriers. We adapted the Community Reinforcement and Family Training (CRAFT) intervention into a 4-session web-based intervention (WBI) called Partners Connect. The program aims to help the CP increase their own well-being, teach the CP how to manage his/her behavior (e.

Deployment, combat, and risk of multiple physical symptoms in the US military: a prospective cohort study.

Purpose: Multiple physical symptoms (MPS) have historically been observed after deployment to a combat zone and are often disabling in nature. This study examined longitudinal trends in MPS status and its relationship to deployment in U.S.

Delivery of self training and education for stressful situations (DESTRESS-PC): a randomized trial of nurse assisted online self-management for PTSD in primary care.

Objective: This randomized controlled trial examined the effectiveness of a nurse assisted online cognitive-behavioral self-management intervention for war-related posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), compared to optimized usual primary care PTSD Treatment (OUC) to reduce PTSD symptoms.

Method: Participants were 80 veterans of recent military conflicts with PTSD as assessed by the PTSD Checklist (PCL) seeking primary care treatment at one of three Veterans Affairs (VA) and four Army clinics. DESTRESS-PC consisted of logins to a secure website three times per week for 6 weeks with monitoring by a study nurse.

Randomized effectiveness trial of a brief course of acupuncture for posttraumatic stress disorder.

Background: Initial posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) care is often delayed and many with PTSD go untreated. Acupuncture appears to be a safe, potentially nonstigmatizing treatment that reduces symptoms of anxiety, depression, and chronic pain, but little is known about its effect on PTSD.

Methods: Fifty-five service members meeting research diagnostic criteria for PTSD were randomized to usual PTSD care (UPC) plus eight 60-minute sessions of acupuncture conducted twice weekly or to UPC alone.

Study design to develop and pilot-test a web intervention for partners of military service members with alcohol misuse.

Background: Alcohol misuse among military service members from the recent conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan is over two times higher compared to misuse in the civilian population. Unfortunately, in addition to experiencing personal consequences from alcohol misuse, partners and family members of alcohol-misusing service members also suffer in negative ways from their loved one's drinking. These family members represent important catalysts for helping their loved ones identify problem drinking and overcoming the barriers to seeking care.

Operating characteristics of the PTSD checklist in a military primary care setting.

The Department of Defense (DoD) is implementing universal behavioral health screening for all DoD health-care beneficiaries presenting to military primary care clinics. The PTSD Checklist-Civilian Version (PCL-C; Weathers, Litz, Herman, Huska, & Keane, 1993) is used for the identification of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD); however, the operating characteristics of the PCL-C remain unstudied in this population. This study examined the operating characteristics of the PCL-C in a sample of 213 patients from 3 Washington, D.

Preference-weighted health status of PTSD among veterans: an outcome for cost-effectiveness analysis using clinical data.

Objective: Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a highly prevalent, chronic, disabling but treatable condition. Preference-based measures (for example, health utilities) are recommended for and useful in cost-effectiveness analyses and for policy decisions because they reflect a population's valuation of the desirability of disease states. However, no such measures exist for PTSD.

Acceptability of adverse childhood experiences questions for health surveillance in U.S. Armed Forces.

Background: Research has documented a consistent and strong association between adverse childhood experiences (ACE) and negative health outcomes in adulthood. The Department of Defense is expanding health surveillance of military members and considering the inclusion of ACE questions.

Objective: To explore the perceptions and attitudes of service members and spouses regarding the use of ACE questions in routine health surveillance.

Test of a single-item posttraumatic stress disorder screener in a military primary care setting.

Background: Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is prevalent in primary care, frequently goes undetected and can be highly debilitating when untreated.

Objective: We assessed the operating characteristics of a single-item PTSD screener (SIPS) for primary care and compared it to a commonly used four-item primary care PTSD screener (PC-PTSD). The SIPS asks: "Were you recently bothered by a past experience that caused you to believe you would be injured or killed .