Caring for Vets and Service Members: Caring Contacts for Stressed and Distressed Veterans and Service Members (COVE)

University of Washington

Status: Enrolling

Conditions: Distress, Emotional; Stress

Treatments: Behavioral: Caring Contacts; Behavioral: Best Available Resources Alone

Study type: Interventional

Funder types: Other

Identifiers

NCT06136234

STUDY00019011

Details and patient eligibility

About

The goal of this clinical trial is to study stressed or distressed veterans and service members. Researchers will compare Caring Contacts plus best available resources to best available resources alone to see if reduces distress and prevents thoughts of suicide.

Full description

The objective of this study is to evaluate whether Caring Contacts via text message are beneficial to veterans and service members experiencing stress or distress. In the past, Caring Contacts interventions have focused on individuals who are already suicidal and not a more general population. In addition, a core objective of this study is to understand the mechanisms of action of Caring Contacts and thus has included an ecological momentary assessment (EMA) component that will allow us to determine when and how Caring Contacts is making an impact.

Study aims are to

Evaluate if stressed or distressed veterans receiving Caring Contacts are at greater or less risk of suicidal ideation or behavior as evidenced by:

Decreased mean and reduction in variability of indicators of suicide risk (motivation to live, passive ideation, active ideation, suicide intent, and urges to harm self) acquired during Ecological Momentary Assessment periods.

Reduced risk of suicidal ideation (HASS-I) and cognitions (SCS-R) during follow-up.

Examine diverse veterans' experiences with Caring Contacts (i.e., access, satisfaction, preferences, potential mechanisms)

Evaluate if veterans receiving Caring Contacts will show a decrease in distress (i.e., isolation, depression, substance use, loneliness, defeat, hopelessness, and psychological pain)

Identify potential mechanisms of action for Caring Contacts by exploring the relationship between potential mechanisms (i.e., mattering, connectedness, social responsibility, and entrapment), distress, and suicide risk observed during ecological momentary assessment periods to identify potential mechanisms of action of Caring Contacts on decreasing distress and suicide risk

Enrollment: 510 estimated patients

Sex: All

Ages: 18+ years old

Volunteers: No Healthy Volunteers

Inclusion criteria

• US service member or veteran
• 18 years or older
• Lives in the United States
• Stressed (recent separation from or in transition out of the military, unemployment, financial strain, unhoused, or suicide loss, etc.) or distressed (isolation, depression, substance use, loneliness, defeat, hopelessness, psychological pain, or suicidal ideation, etc.)
• Willingness to be contacted periodically by text message and either email or postal mail

Exclusion criteria

• Unable to consent due to inability to understand the consent form due to cognitive limitations or insufficient English (as determined by inability to pass the consent quiz items)

Trial design

Primary purpose: Treatment

Allocation: Randomized

Interventional model: Parallel Assignment

Masking: Double Blind

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510 participants in 3 patient groups

Experimental Condition with intensive assessment

Experimental group

Description:

Caring Contacts plus best available resources, with monthly EMAs during study year

Treatment:

Behavioral: Caring Contacts

Behavioral: Best Available Resources Alone

Control Condition with intensive assessment

Active Comparator group

Description:

Best available resources, with monthly EMAs during study year

Treatment:

Behavioral: Best Available Resources Alone

Experimental Condition without intensive assessment

Experimental group

Description:

Caring Contacts plus best available resources, without monthly EMAs during study year

Treatment:

Behavioral: Caring Contacts

Behavioral: Best Available Resources Alone