Feasibility of recruitment and retention in a remote trial of gatekeeper training for close supports of military veterans: Mixed methods study
Background: VA S.A.V.E. (Signs; Ask; Validate; Encourage/Expedite) is a gatekeeper training, designed to teach individuals how to identify and assist military veterans at risk for suicide. The aim of this pilot was to determine feasibility, barriers, and facilitators of recruitment and retention in...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Elsevier
2022-12-01
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| Series: | Contemporary Clinical Trials Communications |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2451865422001107 |
| _version_ | 1811201227050975232 |
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| author | Alan R. Teo Aaron A. Call Elizabeth R. Hooker Clarissa Fong Elizabeth Karras Steven K. Dobscha |
| author_facet | Alan R. Teo Aaron A. Call Elizabeth R. Hooker Clarissa Fong Elizabeth Karras Steven K. Dobscha |
| author_sort | Alan R. Teo |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Background: VA S.A.V.E. (Signs; Ask; Validate; Encourage/Expedite) is a gatekeeper training, designed to teach individuals how to identify and assist military veterans at risk for suicide. The aim of this pilot was to determine feasibility, barriers, and facilitators of recruitment and retention in a remote trial of VA S.A.V.E. Methods: We recruited close supports (family and friends) of veterans through Facebook sponsored ads, automatically randomized them to VA S.A.V.E. or an unrelated video training, and followed them for six months. A subgroup completed interviews, and we used a mixed methods framework to integrate quantitative and qualitative findings. Results: Of 214 participants, 61% were spouses or partners of veterans and 48% knew at least one veteran who had died by suicide. Of the three a priori feasibility benchmarks, two were achieved (enrollment, on average, of twenty participants per week and less than 50% loss to follow-up at the 6-month study endpoint) and one was not (enrollment of at least 50% of eligible individuals). There were three barriers (generic ads, ad text referring to “research,” and Facebook as an ad platform) and five facilitators (audience segmentation focused on veterans’ family members and friends, an urgent call to action to help a veteran, prior exposure to suicide, emphasizing the benefit of receiving training, and using a university as the campaign messenger) to study participation. Conclusion: A fully remote trial of VA S.A.V.E. gatekeeper training was feasible in a population of close supports of veterans. Several strategies may further enhance study participation. |
| first_indexed | 2024-04-12T02:18:31Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-03406d2cc32a489db282753c4bbf6299 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2451-8654 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-04-12T02:18:31Z |
| publishDate | 2022-12-01 |
| publisher | Elsevier |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Contemporary Clinical Trials Communications |
| spelling | doaj.art-03406d2cc32a489db282753c4bbf62992022-12-22T03:52:12ZengElsevierContemporary Clinical Trials Communications2451-86542022-12-0130100993Feasibility of recruitment and retention in a remote trial of gatekeeper training for close supports of military veterans: Mixed methods studyAlan R. Teo0Aaron A. Call1Elizabeth R. Hooker2Clarissa Fong3Elizabeth Karras4Steven K. Dobscha5VA Portland Health Care System, HSR&D Center to Improve Veteran Involvement in Care (CIVIC), 3710 SW US Veterans Hospital Rd (R&D 66), Portland, OR, 97239, United States; Oregon Health & Science University, Department of Psychiatry, 3181 SW Sam Jackson Park Rd (Multnomah Pavilion, Room 2316), Portland, OR, 97239, United States; Corresponding author. VA Portland Health Care System, 3710 SW US Veterans Hospital Rd (R&D 66), Portland, OR, 97239-2964.VA Portland Health Care System, HSR&D Center to Improve Veteran Involvement in Care (CIVIC), 3710 SW US Veterans Hospital Rd (R&D 66), Portland, OR, 97239, United StatesVA Portland Health Care System, HSR&D Center to Improve Veteran Involvement in Care (CIVIC), 3710 SW US Veterans Hospital Rd (R&D 66), Portland, OR, 97239, United StatesOregon Health & Science University, OHSU Brain Institute, 3181 S.W. Sam Jackson Park Road, Portland, OR, 97239, United StatesCenter of Excellence for Suicide Prevention, Canandaigua VA Medical Center, 400 Fort Hill Ave, Canandaigua, NY, 14424, United StatesVA Portland Health Care System, HSR&D Center to Improve Veteran Involvement in Care (CIVIC), 3710 SW US Veterans Hospital Rd (R&D 66), Portland, OR, 97239, United States; Oregon Health & Science University, Department of Psychiatry, 3181 SW Sam Jackson Park Rd (Multnomah Pavilion, Room 2316), Portland, OR, 97239, United StatesBackground: VA S.A.V.E. (Signs; Ask; Validate; Encourage/Expedite) is a gatekeeper training, designed to teach individuals how to identify and assist military veterans at risk for suicide. The aim of this pilot was to determine feasibility, barriers, and facilitators of recruitment and retention in a remote trial of VA S.A.V.E. Methods: We recruited close supports (family and friends) of veterans through Facebook sponsored ads, automatically randomized them to VA S.A.V.E. or an unrelated video training, and followed them for six months. A subgroup completed interviews, and we used a mixed methods framework to integrate quantitative and qualitative findings. Results: Of 214 participants, 61% were spouses or partners of veterans and 48% knew at least one veteran who had died by suicide. Of the three a priori feasibility benchmarks, two were achieved (enrollment, on average, of twenty participants per week and less than 50% loss to follow-up at the 6-month study endpoint) and one was not (enrollment of at least 50% of eligible individuals). There were three barriers (generic ads, ad text referring to “research,” and Facebook as an ad platform) and five facilitators (audience segmentation focused on veterans’ family members and friends, an urgent call to action to help a veteran, prior exposure to suicide, emphasizing the benefit of receiving training, and using a university as the campaign messenger) to study participation. Conclusion: A fully remote trial of VA S.A.V.E. gatekeeper training was feasible in a population of close supports of veterans. Several strategies may further enhance study participation.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2451865422001107suicideSocial mediaVirtualVeteransCaregiver |
| spellingShingle | Alan R. Teo Aaron A. Call Elizabeth R. Hooker Clarissa Fong Elizabeth Karras Steven K. Dobscha Feasibility of recruitment and retention in a remote trial of gatekeeper training for close supports of military veterans: Mixed methods study Contemporary Clinical Trials Communications suicide Social media Virtual Veterans Caregiver |
| title | Feasibility of recruitment and retention in a remote trial of gatekeeper training for close supports of military veterans: Mixed methods study |
| title_full | Feasibility of recruitment and retention in a remote trial of gatekeeper training for close supports of military veterans: Mixed methods study |
| title_fullStr | Feasibility of recruitment and retention in a remote trial of gatekeeper training for close supports of military veterans: Mixed methods study |
| title_full_unstemmed | Feasibility of recruitment and retention in a remote trial of gatekeeper training for close supports of military veterans: Mixed methods study |
| title_short | Feasibility of recruitment and retention in a remote trial of gatekeeper training for close supports of military veterans: Mixed methods study |
| title_sort | feasibility of recruitment and retention in a remote trial of gatekeeper training for close supports of military veterans mixed methods study |
| topic | suicide Social media Virtual Veterans Caregiver |
| url | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2451865422001107 |
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