Career Enhancement Training Study Delivered Across Career Phases

Part of paid clinical trials in Rochester, New York.

Sponsor
University of Rochester
Study ID
NCT05967364
Status
Enrolling By Invitation

Conditions

  • Suicide
  • Suicide Prevention

Eligibility Criteria

Sex
ALL
Age
18 Years - 40 Years
Healthy Volunteers
Not accepted

Interventions

  • Wingman-Connect — BEHAVIORAL
    Training occurs in three 2-hr blocks over several days in class groups. Targeted Skills focus on protective factors (Four Cores) supportive of mental health, theoretically linked to reduced suicide risk, and essential to an Airmen's job success: (1) Healthy relationships and accountability spanning USAF and family/intimate relationships (Kinship); (2) Meaning and value in work and life (Purpose), (3) Informal and formal help-seeking (Guidance); and (4) Activities that give strength and balance emotions (Balance). Activities progress from individual to group skill-building activities. Kinship modules at operational base (FTAC) expand focus on growing and sustaining relationships with intimate partners, friends, and family; and Guidance more on senior mentors at work. To extend training impact, facilitators implement activities once per quarter that bring concepts into base activities. Six months of text messages (1-2 per week) to reinforce and extend program concepts and skills.
  • Stress Management — BEHAVIORAL
    Stress management training (also done in class groups) reviews the basics of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis stress-response system; common experiences of stress (physiological, cognitive, emotional); the impact of chronic stress on the brain and other domains of health; how exercise reduces harmful effects of stress; and relaxation techniques that have been shown to reduce stress and adverse effects of stress on health. Additional modules review the physiological stress response and effects of stress on health; introduces how cognition influences stress responses; common cognitive distortions/attributions are reviewed that affect stress including strategies to strengthen protective cognitive responses. Six months of text messages (1-2 per week) to reinforce and extend program concepts and skills.

Study Details

This trial tests the effectiveness of the Wingman-Connect Program delivered by USAF personnel on individual suicide risk. Randomization will be among classes at Initial Technical Training, in which 396 classes of USAF personnel will be randomized to Wingman-Connect or to an active control training (N=2,970 Airmen) and followed for one year. These classes send a proportion of graduates to Air Force Global Strike Command (AFGSC) \& Air Mobility Command (AMC) operational bases.

Key Dates

Start date
Jan 27, 2025
Status verified
Mar 2026
Primary completion
Feb 28, 2028
Completion
Aug 31, 2028

Study Design

Enrollment
2,970 participants (estimated)
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Intervention model
PARALLEL
Primary purpose
PREVENTION

Arms

  • Experimental: Wingman Connect
    Wingman-Connect (Wyman et al., 2020 \& 2022) uses a network health theoretical framework to strengthen two suicide-protective functions of social networks: 1) Strengthening positive social bonds, and 2) Building healthy norms that incentivize adaptive coping.
  • Active Comparator: Active Control
    Active control is stress management training of cognitive and behavioral strategies.

Primary Outcome Measure

At-risk cut-off of computerized adaptive testing for suicide severity [ Time Frame: 1 year ]

Locations (1)

FacilityCityStateZIPSite coordinators
University of RochesterRochesterNew York14642-

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By research site
University of Rochester· Rochester, NY

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