Population Impact of Wingman-Connect Implemented by the US Air Force
1 other identifier
interventional
17,400
1 country
1
Brief Summary
This study involves collection of implementation data and analysis of USAF de-identified administrative data on base-level suicide attempt rates following US Air Force (USAF) delivery of Wingman-Connect training at 8 operational AF bases, as part of a force-wide scale out of the program. Implementation of Wingman-Connect by the USAF will occur over 51 months. The AF has agreed to stagger implementation based on a randomized stepped-wedge design. Once Wingman-Connect has been initiated at each base, all entering first-term Airmen will receive Wingman-Connect, with \~17,400 total Airmen receiving Wingman-Connect across all bases. Implementation. The study will directly collect data from USAF prevention personnel who are involved in the delivery of the intervention to measure fidelity and measure implementation barriers and facilitators. These base-level data are essential to test Wingman-Connect impact on suicide attempt rates in a general USAF population, to study Wingman-Connect diffusion, and to refine implementation processes and tools. Suicide Rates. Bases routinely provide their base-wide suicide attempt rates to the Air Force Medical Readiness Agency (AFMRA). AFMRA will provide these routinely-collected aggregate administrative data to this study in order to analyze changes in base-level suicide attempt rates (USAF administrative data) among the 8 bases.
Trial Health
Trial Health Score
Automated assessment based on enrollment pace, timeline, and geographic reach
participants targeted
Target at P75+ for not_applicable
Started Aug 2024
Typical duration for not_applicable
1 active site
Health score is calculated from publicly available data and should be used for screening purposes only.
Trial Relationships
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Study Timeline
Key milestones and dates
First Submitted
Initial submission to the registry
July 25, 2023
CompletedFirst Posted
Study publicly available on registry
August 3, 2023
CompletedStudy Start
First participant enrolled
August 13, 2024
CompletedPrimary Completion
Last participant's last visit for primary outcome
February 28, 2027
ExpectedStudy Completion
Last participant's last visit for all outcomes
August 31, 2027
February 6, 2026
February 1, 2026
2.5 years
July 25, 2023
February 4, 2026
Conditions
Keywords
Outcome Measures
Primary Outcomes (1)
Total Number Base level suicide attempts among Ranks E1-4
Suicide attempt data for the total population of junior Airmen on each base will be collected from the Air Force Medical Readiness Agency (AFMRA) through our study sponsor Office of Integrated Resilience (HAF/A1Z). Suicide attempt data is compiled using ICD-10 codes for patient encounters across multiple sources including records from direct-care within Air Force medical systems (CAPER, SIDR, M2).
4 years
Study Arms (1)
Wingman-Connect
EXPERIMENTALWingman-Connect (Wyman et al., 2020) 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. Training will be delivered in First Term Airmen classes among all Airmen arriving at base during the study period.
Interventions
Training occurs in three 2-hr blocks over several days. 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.
Eligibility Criteria
You may qualify if:
- Data from bases in the Air Force Global Strike Command (AFGSC) \& Air Mobility Command (AMC) MajComs.
- implementers (4-5 per base over at each data point, and 8-12 respondents per site across the study period)
You may not qualify if:
- none
Contact the study team to confirm eligibility.
Sponsors & Collaborators
Study Sites (1)
University of Rochester
Rochester, New York, 14642, United States
Related Publications (2)
Wyman PA, Pickering TA, Pisani AR, Cero I, Yates B, Schmeelk-Cone K, Hendricks Brown C, Gibbons RD, Simonson J, Pflanz SE. Wingman-Connect Program increases social integration for Air Force personnel at elevated suicide risk: Social network analysis of a cluster RCT. Soc Sci Med. 2022 Mar;296:114737. doi: 10.1016/j.socscimed.2022.114737. Epub 2022 Jan 22.
PMID: 35131614BACKGROUNDWyman PA, Pisani AR, Brown CH, Yates B, Morgan-DeVelder L, Schmeelk-Cone K, Gibbons RD, Caine ED, Petrova M, Neal-Walden T, Linkh DJ, Matteson A, Simonson J, Pflanz SE. Effect of the Wingman-Connect Upstream Suicide Prevention Program for Air Force Personnel in Training: A Cluster Randomized Clinical Trial. JAMA Netw Open. 2020 Oct 1;3(10):e2022532. doi: 10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2020.22532.
PMID: 33084901BACKGROUND
MeSH Terms
Conditions
Condition Hierarchy (Ancestors)
Study Design
- Study Type
- interventional
- Phase
- not applicable
- Allocation
- NA
- Masking
- NONE
- Purpose
- PREVENTION
- Intervention Model
- SEQUENTIAL
- Sponsor Type
- OTHER
- Responsible Party
- PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR
- PI Title
- Professor
Study Record Dates
First Submitted
July 25, 2023
First Posted
August 3, 2023
Study Start
August 13, 2024
Primary Completion (Estimated)
February 28, 2027
Study Completion (Estimated)
August 31, 2027
Last Updated
February 6, 2026
Record last verified: 2026-02
Data Sharing
- IPD Sharing
- Will share
- Shared Documents
- STUDY PROTOCOL, SAP
- Time Frame
- All data will be deposited to NDA starting 12 months after the award begins and will be deposited every six months thereafter following the usual NDA data submission dates.
- Access Criteria
- To request access of the data, researchers will use the standard processes at NDA, and the NDA Data Access Committee will decide which requests to grant. The standard NDA data access process allows access for one year and is renewable.
De-identified data on base-level suicide attempts will be made available at the NIMH Data Archive (NDA). Any coding used to manipulate data (create categories, scales) will be done in either SPSS or R and this code will also be provided via NDA or github.