The Family of Heroes: an Evaluation of an Online Educational Tool

Department of Veterans Affairs, New Jersey206 enrolled

Overview

The purpose of this study is to evaluate the effectiveness of a unique web based educational tool called "Family of Heroes," which is designed to educate families about Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and provide them with practical tools for interacting with affected veteran family members. The study includes veterans and a family member of their choosing. Participants are randomly assigned to a group which takes the online training or a group that does not take the training. Both groups complete a baseline questionnaire and a follow up questionaire 60 days later. The study will examine the number of Veteran Affairs (VA) mental health visits.

Study Type

INTERVENTIONAL

Allocation

RANDOMIZED

Purpose

TREATMENT

Masking

NONE

Enrollment

206

Conditions

Post Traumatic Stress Disorder PTSD

Interventions

Eligibility

Sex: ALLMin age: 18 Years

Medical Language ↔ Plain English

Inclusion Criteria: * Male or female Operation Iraqi Freedom/ Operation Enduring Freedom (OIF/OEF) veteran * Positive for PTSD, based on PTSD Checklist (PCL) score greater than or equal to 50 * Availability of a family member who is both willing to participate in the study AND has contact with the veteran 3 or more times per week * Ability to access a computer with internet access to take educational training and surveys Exclusion Criteria: * Not and OIF/OEF veteran * Negative for PTSD, based on PCL score less than 50 * Unavailability of a family member who is both willing to participate in the study or has contact with the veteran 3 or more times per week * Inability to access a computer with internet access to take the educational training and surveys

Outcomes

Primary Outcomes

Mental Health Treatment Engagement

Number of mental health visits attended. Obtained from chart review.

Time frame: 6 months post enrollment

Secondary Outcomes

Change in Perceived Criticism Score

4 questions answered on a scale of 1 to 10; 1 being not at all critical and 10 being very critical.

Time frame: Baseline and 2 months

Change in Family Empowerment Scale Score

12 questions answered on a scale of 1 through 5. 1 = not true at all, 2 = mostly not true, 3 = somewhat true, 4 = mostly true, and 5 = very true.