Depression, Post-traumatic Stress Disorder
Conditions
Brief summary
SimCoach, a computer program featuring a virtual human that speaks and gestures in a videogame-like interface, is designed to encourage servicemembers, especially those with signs or symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) or depression, to seek help to improve their psychological health. The assessment included a formative component assessing SimCoach's design, development, and implementation approaches, as well as a summative component assessing outcomes among participants in a user experience survey and a randomized controlled trial (RCT).
Interventions
BEHAVIORALSimCoach
Sponsors
RAND
Study design
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Intervention model
PARALLEL
Primary purpose
TREATMENT
Masking
NONE
Eligibility
Sex/Gender
ALL
Age
18 Years to No maximum
Healthy volunteers
No
Inclusion criteria
* 18 years of age and * active duty or Reserve servicemember or National Guard servicemember and * being off duty
Exclusion criteria
* under the age of 18 years * retired servicemember or not a servicemember * currently on duty * currently incarcerated, on parole, or on probation
Design outcomes
Primary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Help-seeking intentions | within 30 days | Participants were asked the following question: How likely is it that you will seek help for issues such as stress, emotional, alcohol, drug, or family problems from the following people in the next month? and responded using a Likert scale ranging from 1=extremely unlikely to 7=extremely likely. |
| Perceived barriers to care | within 30 days | Subjects were asked about their perceptions of both stigma-related and practical barriers to seeking help. |
Secondary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| User experience | Immediately following their interaction with SimCoach or online form (up to 5 min) | Participants responded to questions about their experience with the tool or the online form. |
Outcome results
None listed