Military IdentityNCT04261842
Military Identity Project
An observational study of Military Identity and Self-schemas, run by David Grant U.S. Air Force Medical Center at 1 site in United States.
Trial summary
The Military Identity Project is an exploration of military identity in Active Duty Service Members of the Army, Navy, Air Force \& Marine Corps. The purpose of this project is to discover common identity attributes shared by active duty members across Service branches and to see if specific traits are related to… Read more about this study
- Who is it for?
- Ages 18 years and olderHealthy volunteers can take part
- Conditions the study is for
- Military Identity, Self-schemas, Psychological Well-being
- How many people
- 115 participants
- Where
- 1 siteUnited States
- Study dates
- 7 Apr 2020to 31 Dec 2021
- Phase
- Observational
- Are there results?
- None posted in the registry
Key requirements
Who can take part, as listed by the sponsor. Only the study team can confirm whether you are eligible, so take this list to your doctor.
- Ages 18 years and older
- All sexes
- Healthy volunteers accepted
- Adult, Older adult
Study population: Population of interest includes a stratified self-selected sample of ADSM participants (25% USA, 25% USAF, 25% USMC, 25% USN). Recruitment will be primarily through online forums with facilitation championed from five recruitment hubs at: 1) David Grant Medical Center (USAF) serving over 10K ADSM, 2) 59th Medical Wing, (USAF) serving over 60K ADSM, 3) Walter Reed National Military Medical Center, (USN) serving over 3.5K ADSM, 4) Womack Army Medical Center (USA) serving 50K ADSM. and 5) Marine Corps Base Hawaii (USMC), home to the majority of the 5,300 Marines stationed on Oahu. The study is site agnostic as it will be conducted in a virtual environment hosted by Harvard's Project Implicit virtual laboratory, therefore any ADSM who meets the inclusion criteria is eligible to participate.
Who may be able to join
- An active duty member of the US Army, US Air Force, US Marine Corps, US Navy
- Willing to complete the online identity tasks requiring approximately 45 minutes
Who cannot join
- Civilian
- Guard or Reserve Service Members
- U.S. Public Health Service Member
- U.S. Coast Guard Service Member
Trial locations and contacts
1 site in 1 country.
United States1 site
David Grant USAF Medical Center
Travis Air Force Base, California, 94535
About this study
Official title: Identifying the Core Content of Military Identity for Psychological Understanding
The Military Identity Project is an exploration of military identity in Active Duty Service Members of the Army, Navy, Air Force \& Marine Corps. The purpose of this project is to discover common identity attributes shared by active duty members across Service branches and to see if specific traits are related to levels of well-being and resilience.
Read the detailed description
Rationale: Psychological health (PH) disorders continue to be the highest consumer of inpatient bed days and are in the top 10 diagnoses for Active Duty Service Members (ADSM) lost duty days and appointment utilization. Cognitive therapies (CT) are the evidence-based choice for PH conditions. Little is known about the cognitive contents of Military Identity (MI) and the potential for identifying specific cognitive vulnerabilities and resources common in ADSMs. Understanding the role of MI in common military PH conditions can inform the development of new military-specific clinical strategies for CTs.
Study Objective: To validate findings from a pilot Military Identity (MI) study utilizing a self-schema model to determine core cognitive contents of MI and to explore relationships between MI and psychological well-being (PWB).
Specific Aims:
Aim 1: Describe the core cognitive content of MI in active duty service members.
Aim 2: Examine the effect of MI on information processing response times.
Aim 3: Explore the relationship between MI and self-perceived psychological well-being scores.
Design: A descriptive cross-sectional mixed methods content analysis and a four-group information processing paradigm will be utilized to investigate a stratified sample of ADSMs across Joint Services (25% sample from each Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine).
Methods: Open-Ended and Closed-Ended Identity Attribute Tasks will be used to explore MI content as well as a 60 attribute response time task along with a demographic questionnaire, Inclusion of In-group in Self Scale, and Ryff's PWB Scales. All measures will be collected via computerized software program developed by Harvard's Project Implicit.
Dissemination of Results: Results from the study will be disseminated through publications, poster and/or podium presentations at professional annual conferences such as the American Psychological Association (APA), Military Health Systems Research Symposium, Association of Military Surgeons United States (AMSUS), and Tri-Service Nursing Research Program (TSNRP). Manuscripts will be submitted for publication to appropriate journals such as Military Psychology, Military Behavioral Health, and Military Medicine.
- Conditions
- Military Identity, Self-schemas, Psychological Well-being
- Keywords
- Military Identity, Military psychological health, Active Duty, Well-being, Readiness, Self and Identity, Self-Schemas
- Medical subject headings
- Psychological Well-Being
What is being measured
The primary outcome is the main question the study is designed to answer.
Open-ended Identity Attribute Task (Task 1)
Participants will enter up to 9 attributes that represent how they think about themselves as a military member and using an 11-point scale rate each attribute according to: Self-descriptiveness (How much does this attribute really describe me?), Importance (How important is this attribute to who I am as a military member?) and, Valence (How positive or negative do I consider this attribute in myself?).
Measured: 15 minutes
Identity Attribute Response Time Task (Task 2)
The Response Time task will involve participants striking specific keys on the keyboard to endorse or reject 70 pre-determined attributes (10 practice attributes; 60 randomized experimental attributes) as self-descriptive.
Measured: 3 minutes
Demographic Questions (Task 3)
The participant will respond to six demographic items: gender, Service branch, rank, active duty service time, number of deployments, and whether raised in a military family.
Measured: 2 minutes
Inclusion of In-group in the Self Scale (Task 4)
The Inclusion of In-group in the Self Scale (IIS) is a single-item measure that is adapted easily and administered quickly for studies involving membership in many different groups. The scale of 1 to 7 is represented by seven pairs of circles representing level of identification with the military; participants will be asked to choose the pair of circles that best represents their own level of identification with the military. The pair of circles labeled "1" (no overlap) represents the lowest level of identification with the military. The pair labeled "7" (almost complete overlap) represents the highest level of identification with the military. The score represents a self-report of a participant's level of identification with a group, and is not by itself indicative of a better or worse outcome.
Measured: 1-2 minutes
Closed-ended Identity Attribute Task (Task 5)
The Closed-ended Identity Attribute Task (CIAT) provides a list of 60 attributes generated through methods established in the social psychological sciences. Using an 11-point scale, the participant must rate each attribute according to: Self-descriptiveness (How much does this attribute really describe me?), Importance (How important is this attribute to who I am as a military member?) and, Valence (How positive or negative do I consider this attribute in myself?). The CIAT uses the same 60 attributes presented as experimental stimuli in the Identity Attribute Response Time Task (Task 2).
Measured: 10 minutes
Ryff Scales of Psychological Well-being (Task 6)
The Ryff Scales of Psychological Well-being (PWB) is comprised of six 9-item scales (54 total items) of psychological well-being constructed to measure the dimensions of autonomy, environmental mastery, personal growth, positive relations, purpose in life and self-acceptance. Participants will respond to statements using a scale of 1 (Strongly Disagree) to 6 (Strongly Agree). Scores from the 54 items are summed; the higher the total score = the higher the PWB.
Measured: 10 minutes
Timeline
From the start of the study to its completion; the mark is today. Estimated dates are the sponsor’s plan.
- First posted10 Feb 2020
- Study start7 Apr 2020
- Primary completion19 Feb 2021
- Study completion31 Dec 2021
Resources
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govThe registry entry this page is built from, with its full change history.
- Publications (66)Papers the sponsor has linked to this study.
- Other trials for Military IdentityStudies of the same condition, open and under way.
- What the trial phases meanHow a treatment moves from first tests in people to approval.
More details
For doctors and researchers: how the study is designed, who runs it, and its registry IDs.
Study design
- Study type
- Observational
- Observational model
- Case only
- Time perspective
- Cross-sectional
- Enrolment
- 115 participants (actual)
Sponsor and investigators
- Lead sponsor
- David Grant U.S. Air Force Medical Center
- Sponsor type
- US federal agency
- Collaborators
- Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, University of Rochester, San Antonio Military Medical Center, Walter Reed National Military Medical Center, Womack Army Medical Center, Tripler Army Medical Center
- Responsible party
- Sponsor
- Investigators
- Laurie A Migliore, PhD, Principal investigator, David Grant USAF Medical Center
IDs, dates and publications
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT04261842
- Sponsor's protocol ID
- FDG20180009E
- Other IDs
- HU00011820041 N18-B07
- Status last verified
- Mar 2022
- First submitted
- 31 Jan 2020
- Last updated
- 5 Apr 2022
- Results posted
- No
- Data monitoring committee
- No
- FDA-regulated drug
- No
- FDA-regulated device
- No
- Individual data sharing
- No
Publications
American Association of Nurse Practitioners. (2015). NP Facts. Www.Aanp.Org, 78711. Retrieved from https://www.aanp.org/images/documents/about-nps/npfacts.pdf
Andersen, B. L., & Cyranowski, J. M. (1994). Women's sexual self-schema. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology. http://doi.org/10.1037/0022-3514.67.6.1079
Anderson NH. Likableness ratings of 555 personality-trait words. J Pers Soc Psychol. 1968 Jul;9(3):272-9. doi: 10.1037/h0025907. No abstract available.
PubMed 5666976Armed Forces Health Surveillance Branch. Absolute and relative morbidity burdens attributable to various illnesses and injuries, active component, U.S. Armed Forces, 2016. MSMR. 2017 Apr;24(4):2-8. No abstract available.
PubMed 28488875Baayen, H. R., & Milin, P. (2010). Analyzing reaction times. International Journal of Psychological Research, 3(2).
Beck AT. The evolution of the cognitive model of depression and its neurobiological correlates. Am J Psychiatry. 2008 Aug;165(8):969-77. doi: 10.1176/appi.ajp.2008.08050721. Epub 2008 Jul 15.
PubMed 18628348Berghaus, P. T., & Cartagena, N. L. (2013). Developing good soldiers: The problem of fragmentation within the Army. Journal of Military Ethics, 12(4), 287-303. http://doi.org/10.1080/15027570.2013.869389
Brewin CR, Garnett R, Andrews B. Trauma, identity and mental health in UK military veterans. Psychol Med. 2011 Aug;41(8):1733-40. doi: 10.1017/S003329171000231X. Epub 2010 Dec 14.
PubMed 21144125Brewin CR. Understanding cognitive behaviour therapy: A retrieval competition account. Behav Res Ther. 2006 Jun;44(6):765-84. doi: 10.1016/j.brat.2006.02.005. Epub 2006 Apr 18.
PubMed 16620779Corte C, Stein KF. Self-cognitions in antisocial alcohol dependence and recovery. West J Nurs Res. 2007 Feb;29(1):80-99. doi: 10.1177/0193945906295480.
PubMed 17228062Cyranowski JM, Aarestad SL, Andersen BL. The role of sexual self-schema in a diathesis-stress model of sexual dysfunction. Appl Prev Psychol. 1999;8(3):217-228. doi: 10.1016/S0962-1849(05)80078-2.
PubMed 19587834Daley, J. G. (1999). Understanding the military as an ethnic identity. Social work practice in the military, 291-303.
Dalgleish T. Cognitive approaches to posttraumatic stress disorder: the evolution of multirepresentational theorizing. Psychol Bull. 2004 Mar;130(2):228-60. doi: 10.1037/0033-2909.130.2.228.
PubMed 14979771Danish SJ, Antonides BJ. The challenges of reintegration for service members and their families. Am J Orthopsychiatry. 2013 Oct;83(4):550-8. doi: 10.1111/ajop.12054.
PubMed 24164527Demers, A. (2011). When Veterans return: The role of community in reintegration. Journal of Loss and Trauma, 16(2), 160-179. http://doi.org/10.1080/15325024.2010.519281
Study at a glance
From the registry record, last updated by the sponsor on 5 Apr 2022. Recruitment status is as the sponsor reported it: confirm with the study team.
- Official title
- Identifying the Core Content of Military Identity for Psychological Understanding
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT04261842
- Acronym / sponsor ID
- FDG20180009E
- Conditions
- Military Identity, Self-schemas, Psychological Well-being
- Keywords
- Military Identity, Military psychological health, Active Duty, Well-being, Readiness, Self and Identity, Self-Schemas
- Study type
- Observational
- Recruitment status
- Completed
- Enrolment
- 115 participants (actual)
- Lead sponsor
- David Grant U.S. Air Force Medical CenterUS federal agency
- Collaborators
- Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, University of Rochester, San Antonio Military Medical Center, Walter Reed National Military Medical Center, Womack Army Medical Center, Tripler Army Medical Center
- Study start
- 7 Apr 2020 (actual)
- Primary completion
- 19 Feb 2021 (actual)
- Study completion
- 31 Dec 2021 (actual)
- First posted
- 10 Feb 2020 (actual)
- Results
- Not posted in the source record
Clinical summary
The research question as the sponsor registered it. This describes what the study plans to test, not what it found.
The Military Identity Project is an exploration of military identity in Active Duty Service Members of the Army, Navy, Air Force \& Marine Corps. The purpose of this project is to discover common identity attributes shared by active duty members across Service branches and to see if specific traits are related to levels of well-being and resilience.
Detailed description
Rationale: Psychological health (PH) disorders continue to be the highest consumer of inpatient bed days and are in the top 10 diagnoses for Active Duty Service Members (ADSM) lost duty days and appointment utilization. Cognitive therapies (CT) are the evidence-based choice for PH conditions. Little is known about the cognitive contents of Military Identity (MI) and the potential for identifying specific cognitive vulnerabilities and resources common in ADSMs. Understanding the role of MI in common military PH conditions can inform the development of new military-specific clinical strategies for CTs.
Study Objective: To validate findings from a pilot Military Identity (MI) study utilizing a self-schema model to determine core cognitive contents of MI and to explore relationships between MI and psychological well-being (PWB).
Specific Aims:
Aim 1: Describe the core cognitive content of MI in active duty service members.
Aim 2: Examine the effect of MI on information processing response times.
Aim 3: Explore the relationship between MI and self-perceived psychological well-being scores.
Design: A descriptive cross-sectional mixed methods content analysis and a four-group information processing paradigm will be utilized to investigate a stratified sample of ADSMs across Joint Services (25% sample from each Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine).
Methods: Open-Ended and Closed-Ended Identity Attribute Tasks will be used to explore MI content as well as a 60 attribute response time task along with a demographic questionnaire, Inclusion of In-group in Self Scale, and Ryff's PWB Scales. All measures will be collected via computerized software program developed by Harvard's Project Implicit.
Dissemination of Results: Results from the study will be disseminated through publications, poster and/or podium presentations at professional annual conferences such as the American Psychological Association (APA), Military Health Systems Research Symposium, Association of Military Surgeons United States (AMSUS), and Tri-Service Nursing Research Program (TSNRP). Manuscripts will be submitted for publication to appropriate journals such as Military Psychology, Military Behavioral Health, and Military Medicine.
Study design
- Observational model
- Case only
- Time perspective
- Cross-sectional
Who may qualify
- Ages
- 18 years and older
- Sex
- All
- Healthy volunteers
- Accepted
- Age groups
- Adult, Older adult
- Study population
- Population of interest includes a stratified self-selected sample of ADSM participants (25% USA, 25% USAF, 25% USMC, 25% USN). Recruitment will be primarily through online forums with facilitation championed from five recruitment hubs at: 1) David Grant Medical Center (USAF) serving over 10K ADSM, 2) 59th Medical Wing, (USAF) serving over 60K ADSM, 3) Walter Reed National Military Medical Center, (USN) serving over 3.5K ADSM, 4) Womack Army Medical Center (USA) serving 50K ADSM. and 5) Marine Corps Base Hawaii (USMC), home to the majority of the 5,300 Marines stationed on Oahu. The study is site agnostic as it will be conducted in a virtual environment hosted by Harvard's Project Implicit virtual laboratory, therefore any ADSM who meets the inclusion criteria is eligible to participate.
Key inclusion criteria (2 listed)
- An active duty member of the US Army, US Air Force, US Marine Corps, US Navy
- Willing to complete the online identity tasks requiring approximately 45 minutes
Key exclusion criteria (4 listed)
- Civilian
- Guard or Reserve Service Members
- U.S. Public Health Service Member
- U.S. Coast Guard Service Member
Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening; this overview does not establish that a patient qualifies. Full inclusion and exclusion criteria.
Primary outcome
Open-ended Identity Attribute Task (Task 1)
Time frame: 15 minutes
Participants will enter up to 9 attributes that represent how they think about themselves as a military member and using an 11-point scale rate each attribute according to: Self-descriptiveness (How much does this attribute really describe me?), Importance (How important is this attribute to who I am as a military member?) and, Valence (How positive or negative do I consider this attribute in myself?).
Identity Attribute Response Time Task (Task 2)
Time frame: 3 minutes
The Response Time task will involve participants striking specific keys on the keyboard to endorse or reject 70 pre-determined attributes (10 practice attributes; 60 randomized experimental attributes) as self-descriptive.
Demographic Questions (Task 3)
Time frame: 2 minutes
The participant will respond to six demographic items: gender, Service branch, rank, active duty service time, number of deployments, and whether raised in a military family.
Inclusion of In-group in the Self Scale (Task 4)
Time frame: 1-2 minutes
The Inclusion of In-group in the Self Scale (IIS) is a single-item measure that is adapted easily and administered quickly for studies involving membership in many different groups. The scale of 1 to 7 is represented by seven pairs of circles representing level of identification with the military; participants will be asked to choose the pair of circles that best represents their own level of identification with the military. The pair of circles labeled "1" (no overlap) represents the lowest level of identification with the military. The pair labeled "7" (almost complete overlap) represents the highest level of identification with the military. The score represents a self-report of a participant's level of identification with a group, and is not by itself indicative of a better or worse outcome.
Closed-ended Identity Attribute Task (Task 5)
Time frame: 10 minutes
The Closed-ended Identity Attribute Task (CIAT) provides a list of 60 attributes generated through methods established in the social psychological sciences. Using an 11-point scale, the participant must rate each attribute according to: Self-descriptiveness (How much does this attribute really describe me?), Importance (How important is this attribute to who I am as a military member?) and, Valence (How positive or negative do I consider this attribute in myself?). The CIAT uses the same 60 attributes presented as experimental stimuli in the Identity Attribute Response Time Task (Task 2).
Ryff Scales of Psychological Well-being (Task 6)
Time frame: 10 minutes
The Ryff Scales of Psychological Well-being (PWB) is comprised of six 9-item scales (54 total items) of psychological well-being constructed to measure the dimensions of autonomy, environmental mastery, personal growth, positive relations, purpose in life and self-acceptance. Participants will respond to statements using a scale of 1 (Strongly Disagree) to 6 (Strongly Agree). Scores from the 54 items are summed; the higher the total score = the higher the PWB.
Results and safety
The study is completed, but results are not available in the source record. That does not mean the treatment did or did not work.
Research links
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govLast updated by the sponsor 5 Apr 2022.
- BackgroundAmerican Association of Nurse Practitioners. (2015). NP Facts. Www.Aanp.Org, 78711. Retrieved from https://www.aanp.org/images/documents/about-nps/npfacts.pdf
- BackgroundAndersen, B. L., & Cyranowski, J. M. (1994). Women's sexual self-schema. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology. http://doi.org/10.1037/0022-3514.67.6.1079
- Background: PubMed 5666976Anderson NH. Likableness ratings of 555 personality-trait words. J Pers Soc Psychol. 1968 Jul;9(3):272-9. doi: 10.1037/h0025907. No abstract available.
- Background: PubMed 28488875Armed Forces Health Surveillance Branch. Absolute and relative morbidity burdens attributable to various illnesses and injuries, active component, U.S. Armed Forces, 2016. MSMR. 2017 Apr;24(4):2-8. No abstract available.
- BackgroundBaayen, H. R., & Milin, P. (2010). Analyzing reaction times. International Journal of Psychological Research, 3(2).
- Background: PubMed 18628348Beck AT. The evolution of the cognitive model of depression and its neurobiological correlates. Am J Psychiatry. 2008 Aug;165(8):969-77. doi: 10.1176/appi.ajp.2008.08050721. Epub 2008 Jul 15.
- BackgroundBerghaus, P. T., & Cartagena, N. L. (2013). Developing good soldiers: The problem of fragmentation within the Army. Journal of Military Ethics, 12(4), 287-303. http://doi.org/10.1080/15027570.2013.869389
- Background: PubMed 21144125Brewin CR, Garnett R, Andrews B. Trauma, identity and mental health in UK military veterans. Psychol Med. 2011 Aug;41(8):1733-40. doi: 10.1017/S003329171000231X. Epub 2010 Dec 14.
- Background: PubMed 16620779Brewin CR. Understanding cognitive behaviour therapy: A retrieval competition account. Behav Res Ther. 2006 Jun;44(6):765-84. doi: 10.1016/j.brat.2006.02.005. Epub 2006 Apr 18.
- Background: PubMed 17228062Corte C, Stein KF. Self-cognitions in antisocial alcohol dependence and recovery. West J Nurs Res. 2007 Feb;29(1):80-99. doi: 10.1177/0193945906295480.
- Background: PubMed 19587834Cyranowski JM, Aarestad SL, Andersen BL. The role of sexual self-schema in a diathesis-stress model of sexual dysfunction. Appl Prev Psychol. 1999;8(3):217-228. doi: 10.1016/S0962-1849(05)80078-2.
- BackgroundDaley, J. G. (1999). Understanding the military as an ethnic identity. Social work practice in the military, 291-303.
- Individual participant dataSharing planned: No
Referral and contact
AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals. Contact the study team or a site listed below; they decide who can take part. This study is not recruiting at the moment.
Laurie A Migliore, PhD principal investigator
David Grant USAF Medical Center
1 site in 1 country: see every site and its status.
Questions about this trial
What is this clinical trial studying?
An observational study of Military Identity and Self-schemas, run by David Grant U.S. Air Force Medical Center at 1 site in United States.
The full registered description is in the About this study section and the official record.
Who may be eligible to take part?
The sponsor lists 2 inclusion and 4 exclusion criteria. Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening, so read the full criteria and contact a listed site.
Is this clinical trial currently recruiting?
The record says: finished, as of the sponsor's last update on 5 Apr 2022. Status can change between updates, so confirm with the study contact before making plans.
Where is the study taking place?
The record lists 1 site in United States. Whether a site is taking part right now should be confirmed with that site. See every site.
What are the possible benefits and risks?
They depend on the study and the treatment, and no study can promise a benefit. The study team explains the known risks during informed consent, before anyone joins; the record itself does not list them.
Are results available for this study?
The study is completed, but results are not available in the source record. That does not mean the treatment did or did not work.
How can a doctor refer a patient or contact the research team?
The record lists no contact. The official record names the sponsor, who can be asked directly. AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals.
What does the primary outcome measure?
Open-ended Identity Attribute Task (Task 1) (time frame: 15 minutes). The study lists 6 primary outcomes in all. It is what the study was designed to measure, not a finding.
Where can I read the original study information?
On the ClinicalTrials.gov record for NCT04261842, which also lists 66 linked publications.
Does a listing mean the treatment is approved or proven to work?
No. A listing means the study is registered. It does not show that the treatment is safe, works, or is approved by a regulator.
How often is this information updated?
AzTrials copies changed records from ClinicalTrials.gov every night and reloads the whole registry every week. The sponsor last updated this record on 5 Apr 2022.