Evaluating the acceptability and effectiveness of a brief intervention targeting interpersonal risk factors in an...

Despite increasing prevention efforts, military populations are consistently at increased risk of suicide compared to their civilian counterparts. The Interpersonal Theory of Suicide provides a framework that may help explain increased suicide risk in the military through two key risk factors: perceived burdensomeness (PB) and thwarted belongingness (TB). Thus, the current study aimed to examine the acceptability and effectiveness of Building Stronger Allies (BSA), a 50-min web-based intervention with eight weeks of text-message based prompts for continued engagement, specifically tailored to target PB and TB among active-duty military personnel.

At-risk active-duty soldiers (N = 58) were recruited from an Army base in the southeast. Participant demographics were representative of the active-duty population (male = 72 %; M_age = 26.00, SD = 6.24). Participants were randomized to the BSA or an active health education control intervention and completed assessments at pre-, post-intervention, 1-month, and 3-month.

Participants rated both interventions as highly acceptable. Significant improvement was demonstrated across time in both conditions for TB, Depression, and Suicidal Ideation. However, for PB only individuals in the BSA condition endorsed significant improvement across time (B = -1.750, p = .001). These findings must be considered in light of limitations including small sample size and attrition of 50 % at 3-month.

The current study suggests that BSA is a promising intervention that should be further tested among larger samples of active-duty military personnel, including those not already receiving treatment.