Relationship Checkups to Reduce Veteran Suicide Risk (BRC RCT)
Relationship Distress, Mental Health
About this trial
This is an interventional treatment trial for Relationship Distress focused on measuring Randomized Controlled Trial, Couple therapy, Primary Care, Partner Communication
Eligibility Criteria
Inclusion Criteria:
- BOTH PARTNERS must be age 18 or over
- BOTH PARTNERS must demonstrate sufficient knowledge of English and cognitive capacity to understand the study through comprehension of consent questions
- BOTH PARTNERS must self-identify as "in a committed relationship" with their partner for at least 6-months.
- AT LEAST ONE PARTNER must report at least mild relationship distress on a relationship satisfaction screen (CSI-4).
- AT LEAST ONE PARTNER must be a VHA-enrolled Veteran who screens positive on a VA Primary Care Mental Health Screen for ONE OR MORE of the following conditions: Depressed Mood, Unsafe drinking, Posttraumatic stress, or Suicidal Ideation.
Exclusion Criteria:
- EITHER PARTNER reports that they are already engaged in ongoing couple or family therapy.
- EITHER PARTNER reports severe intimate partner violence in the last year.
- EITHER PARTNER reports ongoing or upcoming legal conflicts between one another (e.g., custody dispute; restraining order; divorce proceedings)
- EITHER PARTNER reports experiencing suicidal intent requiring hospitalization.
- EITHER PARTNER experiences past-month psychosis or mania.
Sites / Locations
- Canandaigua VA Medical Center, Canandaigua, NYRecruiting
Arms of the Study
Arm 1
Arm 2
Experimental
Active Comparator
Brief Relationship Checkup (BRC)
Co-Located Collaborative Care (CCC)
Couples in the experimental condition will participate in three joint sessions of the Brief Relationship Checkup (BRC; Cordova 2014; Cigrang et al., 2016). This program has been tested in Air Force Primary Care but has not been explored in Veterans with ongoing mental health issues and has not been compared to an active treatment.
The comparison condition will be three sessions of Co-Located Collaborative Care (CCC) offered to the Screened Veteran only. This reflects the current standard of care in VA Primary Care Mental Health.