Actively Recruiting
Better Together: Relationship Enrichment Program for Military Couples to Improve Emotion Regulation and Reduce Conflict
Led by Henry M. Jackson Foundation for the Advancement of Military Medicine · Updated on 2025-10-20
1000
Participants Needed
1
Research Sites
61 weeks
Total Duration
On this page
Sponsors
H
Henry M. Jackson Foundation for the Advancement of Military Medicine
Lead Sponsor
U
Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences
Collaborating Sponsor
AI-Summary
What this Trial Is About
Researchers are evaluating the Get Better Together (GBT) program, a relationship education designed for military couples to help them manage life stressors together. The study aims to see if attending GBT improves mental health and relationship skills while reducing issues such as alcohol misuse, aggression, and suicide risk. Couples in the study will be randomly assigned to either attend the GBT weekend retreat or continue usual activities with later access to an online relationship education program. The GBT program involves an in-person weekend retreat with about 10 hours of structured sessions focused on emotion regulation, stress coping, and conflict reduction. The curriculum includes lessons on emotion awareness, acceptance, reappraisal, problem-solving, and communication, using videos, group discussions, and couples' practice. The control group will not receive structured programming during the six-month follow-up but will get access to an online version of the PREP curriculum afterward. Participants complete surveys before the retreat and at 2, 4, and 6 months after. These surveys assess suicide thoughts, alcohol misuse, intimate partner violence, emotion regulation, relationship conflict, interpersonal emotion regulation, and overall relationship functioning. The study includes active monitoring of these measures to understand the program's impact over six months.
CONDITIONS
Brief Title
Get Better Together: Relationship Education For Military Couples
Who Can Participate
Eligibility Criteria
You may qualify if you...
- Couple is in a committed romantic relationship of at least six months
- At least one partner is a military Service member on active duty
- Both partners are age 18 or older
- Couple has not previously attended a relationship enrichment retreat or workshop together (e.g., CREDO, Strong Bonds, BSRT). This does not include couples therapy or pre-marital counseling.
You will not qualify if you...
- One or both partners decline to provide informed consent
- Required command endorsement for retreat attendance is not received (for Service members E-6 and below)
- Couple is unable or unwilling to attend any of the scheduled retreats during the study period
AI-Screening
AI-Powered Screening
Complete this quick 3-step screening to check your eligibility
Your Study Journey
Duration - 2 to 4 weeks
Participants are screened for eligibility to participate in the trial.
1 visit (in-person or virtual)
Duration - 1 weekend
Participants attend an in-person weekend retreat where couples receive approximately 10 hours of structured curriculum focused on skills to improve emotion regulation and reduce relationship conflict.
1 weekend retreat visit (in-person)
Duration - 6 months
Participants complete follow-up assessments to monitor outcomes related to suicide cognitions, alcohol misuse, intimate partner violence, emotion regulation, and relationship functioning.
Assessments at baseline, 2 months, 4 months, and 6 months
Trial Site Locations
Total: 1 location
1
Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences
Bethesda, Maryland, United States, 20814
Actively Recruiting
Research Team
S
Sarah Carter, Ph.D.
How is the study designed?
Study Type
INTERVENTIONAL
Masking
NONE
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Model
PARALLEL
Primary Purpose
PREVENTION
Number of Arms
2
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