Publication year
2015
Citation Title
Targeting relational aggression in veterans: The strength at home friends and family intervention
Journal Name
The Journal of Clinical Psychiatry
Journal Volume
76
Issue Number
6
Page Numbers
e774-e778
DOI
10.4088/jcp.14m09155
Summary
An evaluation of the effectiveness of Strength at Home Friends and Families (SAH-F), a dyadic group intervention program designed to prevent relational aggression and its negative consequences was conducted. A community-based sample of Service members/Veterans and their significant others who reported relational difficulties were a part of the program.
Key Findings
Reductions in psychological aggression at the time of the program completion and at a 3-month follow up for both Veterans and significant others were found.
Significant others reported an improvement in relationship adjustment from pretreatment to program completion.
Decreases in depressive symptoms were observed from pretreatment to program completion for Veterans and significant others.
Decreases in posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms were observed from pretreatment to follow-up for both Veterans and significant others.
Implications for Program Leaders
Diversify the use of programs like SAH-F, integrating them into pre and post-deployment programming
Provide tools that assist Veterans and their significant others in working through or preventing relational aggression
Build awareness among professionals working with Veterans on the importance of fostering healthy relationships and effective communication
Implications for Policy Makers
Continue support for non-governmental organizations that focus on Veterans’ mental health and their significant others
Support campaigns that bring attention to the needs of Veterans and their significant others
Target funding for Veterans’ programs and services that address psychological aggression and other mental health issues of both Veterans’ and their families
Methods
Participants included 70 Veterans and their significant other and were recruited through promotional materials and direct referrals from community Veterans’ organizations.
Participants completed a screening questionnaire as well as measures for relational and psychological aggression, relationship quality, and PTSD symptoms.
Participants attended a 10- week group intervention program that focused on relationships and dealing with trauma and aggression.
Analyses looked at the impact of the SAH-F program on psychological and physical aggression by focusing on the means, standard deviations, correlations, and intra-individual effect size.
Participants
Eligibility criteria stated that one member of the dyad had to be a Veteran and in good mental and physical health.
The composition of the dyads (Veterans and their significant others) included 49% married couples, 23% romantic partners, 17% friends, 7% family members, 1% parents, and 3% unknown.
Among the Veterans, 53% served in the Army, 21% in the Navy, 20% in the Marines, and 6% in the Air Force.
Limitations
The study did not have a control group; therefore, it is more difficult to attribute the changes directly to the intervention program.
Only 63% completed the program, and only 57% of participants provided data for the final follow-up assessment, so positive outcomes could be based upon those who saw the benefit of the program and stayed in it.
Measures of relationship quality and social support were not designed for use with non-romantic friends and family members.
Avenues for Future Research
Design valid measures of relationship quality to be used with non-romantic friends and family members
Examine this program and its effects on different populations of Veterans’ and their significant others relationship quality
Investigate why Veterans and their significant others did not complete the program
Focus
Multiple Branches
Target Population
Population Focus
Military Branch
Military Component
Abstract
Objective: We evaluated the effectiveness of Strength at Home Friends and Families (SAH-F), a dyadic group intervention to prevent relational aggression and its negative consequences, in a community-based sample of service members/veterans and significant others who reported relational difficulties. Method: Participants included 70 veterans and their loved ones. Recruitment was conducted from October 2010 through March 2012. Participants completed an initial assessment that included measures of relational aggression and functioning, depressive symptoms, and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms. Participants were enrolled in the 10-week SAH-F targeting social information_processing mechanisms hypothesized to underlie the relationship between trauma and aggression and were reassessed at program completion and 3 months after intervention. Results: Significant reductions in psychological aggression were seen both at program completion and at 3-month follow-up for both veterans (standardized mean gain effect size [ESsg] = _0.45, P < .05) and significant others (ESsg = _0.30, P < .05). Perpetration of physical aggression remained low after pretreatment and did not increase. Relationship adjustment reported by significant others, but not veterans, indicated a significant improvement from pretreatment to program completion (ESsg = 0.33, P < .05). Significant (P < .05) decreases in depressive symptoms were observed from pretreatment to program completion for veterans (ESsg = _0.30, P < .05) and significant others (ESsg = _0.55, P < .05), and significant decreases in PTSD symptoms were observed from pretreatment to follow-up for veterans and significant others (ESsg = _0.52, P < .05). Conclusions: Results provide support for the effectiveness of SAH-F in reducing relational aggression in military member/significant other dyads and enhancing relationship quality and mental health.
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