Military suicide is an ongoing public health concern, particularly within the Army National Guard (ARNG), with longstanding effects on fellow soldiers, family, and friends. The straddling of military and civilian worlds for ARNG can worsen risk factors for suicide, including increased social isolation, disruption to family life, and employment difficulties. One promising framework that addresses both unit cohesion and social support is the First Line Leaders (FLL) program, recently designated by ARNG for nation-wide dissemination. The program is centered on enhancing the relationship between junior enlisted soldiers (JES) and their assigned non-commissioned officer (NCO). The Investigators propose to study an augmented FLL program that includes templated guides developed in collaboration with Idaho ARNG stakeholders. The guides, referred to as TAP (Total Health Action Plan), were adapted from two empirically based interventions, Crisis Response Planning and Problem-Solving Therapy, and consist of prompts for open communication and effective engagement and guidelines for responding to impending or current behavioral distress. Given their elevated suicide risk, the Idaho ARNG is a crucial setting to develop this upstream intervention. In this study, the Investigators propose to compare the augmented FLL + TAP program to FLL only, and training as usual (n= 50 NCOs and 100 JES per group) with quarterly assessments for up to one year. The Investigators will examine a random selection of deidentified counseling templates to examine the type and frequency of counseling sessions involving acute crisis and behavioral health difficulties, and online ratings from a random selection of JES using validated instruments to assess upstream indicators of behavioral distress and suicide risk and resilience. The Investigators will also conduct qualitative interviews with a random selection of 20% of the NCOs (n = 30) and JES (n = 60) enrolled in the project to provide personalized perspectives of program experiences. The Investigators propose three aims to guide this research. (1) Collaborate with Idaho ARNG stakeholders to integrate TAP into FLL programming via: a) development and refinement of TAP training materials, b) building templated counseling statements that align with FLL and TAP, and c) education of Idaho ARNG training cadre in the delivery of TAP. (2) Evaluate fidelity, feasibility, and acceptability of FLL and FLL + TAP through a mixed methods approach of qualitative interviews with FLLs and JESs and evaluation of data from templated counseling sessions. (3) Examine the impact of FLL+TAP versus FLL versus training as usual on unit morale, cohesion, and general functioning.
Age range
18 Years
Sex
ALL
See this in plain English?
AI-rewrites the medical criteria so a patient or caregiver can understand them. Always confirm with the trial site.
Bring these to your next appointment. They're a starting point for a shared conversation — not a sign you qualify or a recommendation to enrol.
Generated to help you prepare — always confirm anything about your own eligibility and care with the study team and your doctor.
The trial coordinator is the person who runs the study day to day. These cover the practical side — logistics, costs, and what taking part would actually mean for your life. The study team confirms whether you meet the criteria; these are questions to ask, not a sign you qualify.
A starting point for the conversation — always confirm anything about your own eligibility, costs, and care with the study team and your doctor.
Mean change in Fidelity to TAP.
Timeframe: Baseline, Month 3, Month 6, Month 9, and, Month 12.
Estimate of TAP usage at Follow-Up Assessments
Timeframe: Baseline, Month 3, Month 6, Month 9, and Month 12
Mean satisfaction with TAP while in the FLL training program
Timeframe: Baseline, Month 3, Month 6, Month 9, and, Month 12