Suicide PreventionNCT05967364
Career Enhancement Training Study Delivered Across Career Phases
A study testing Wingman-Connect and Stress Management in people with Suicide Prevention and Suicide, run by University of Rochester at 1 site in United States.
Trial summary
This trial tests the effectiveness of the Wingman-Connect Program delivered by USAF personnel on individual suicide risk. Randomization will be among classes at Initial Technical Training, in which 396 classes of USAF personnel will be randomized to Wingman-Connect or to an active control training (N=2,970 Airmen) and… Read more about this study
- Who is it for?
- Ages 18 to 40 years
- Conditions the study is for
- Suicide Prevention, Suicide
- What is being tested?
- Wingman-Connect and Stress Management
- Type of treatment
- Lifestyle or therapy programme
- Could I receive a placebo?
- No, everyone receives an active treatment
- How many people
- 2,970 participants
- Where
- 1 siteUnited States
- Study dates
- 27 Jan 2025to 31 Aug 2028
- Phase
- Interventional
- Are there results?
- Not yet: the study is under way
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 to 40 years
- All sexes
- No healthy volunteers
- Adult
Who may be able to join
- Airmen-in-Training (AiT) recruited from technical training classes that train Airmen in jobs that support the mission and aircraft of AFGSC \& AMC MajComs.
- Eligible classes must be between 37-91 class days in length
Who cannot join
- Airmen from other countries receiving training in US
- Airmen who are not in their first year of enlistment
Trial locations and contacts
1 site in 1 country. Contact the study team or a site near you to ask about taking part.
About this study
This trial tests the effectiveness of the Wingman-Connect Program delivered by USAF personnel on individual suicide risk. Randomization will be among classes at Initial Technical Training, in which 396 classes of USAF personnel will be randomized to Wingman-Connect or to an active control training (N=2,970 Airmen) and followed for one year. These classes send a proportion of graduates to Air Force Global Strike Command (AFGSC) \& Air Mobility Command (AMC) operational bases.
Read the detailed description
Military suicide rates increased 61% from 2008 - 2019 and rates have increased faster in the U.S. Air Force (USAF) compared to other branches. Currently, the predominant military suicide prevention approach is to try to remediate suicide risk after suicidal individuals are identified. No RCT-validated universal programs shown to reduce vulnerability to suicide are in wide use. To fill this gap, the Wingman-Connect Program is a group-based intervention that strengthens protective relationship networks and skills for managing career and personal challenges, to reduce vulnerability to suicide across the broad USAF population. This proposed trial tests the effectiveness of the Wingman-Connect Program on individual suicide risk. We will examine theory-driven mediators and moderators and implementation of the program as delivered by US Air Force (not research) personnel under real world conditions across early career phases. This effectiveness study is the critical next stage in the translational pipeline toward large-scale roll-out to prevent suicide deaths. Classes will be randomized at Initial Technical Training (Sheppard AFB), in which 396 classes of USAF personnel will be randomized to Wingman-Connect or to an active control (N=2,970 Airmen) and followed for one year. Classes will be selected over 36 months to reach the enrollment target of 2,970. We are recruiting technical training classes that train Airmen in specific jobs that support the mission and aircraft of AFGSC \& AMC MajComs. After baseline assessments (prior to randomization of classes), participants in the two conditions will complete an additional 2 assessments: 6 months and 12 months. During the follow up period, a portion of enrolled subjects will receive duty assignments at bases where the AF is implementing Wingman-Connect, providing an opportunity to learn about how varying exposure levels impacts them.
Aim 1: Test effectiveness of Wingman-Connect on reducing self-reported suicide risk. We will evaluate individual level outcomes of suicide risk, depression, and occupational problems up to 1 yr.
Aim 2: Evaluate theory-proposed network health mediators and moderators. Wingman-Connect is expected to increase Airmen's positive social bonds, group cohesion, morale, and healthy coping norms in their social networks; those changes will contribute to reduced suicide risk, depression and occupational problems.
- Conditions
- Suicide Prevention, Suicide
- Being tested
- Wingman-Connect, Stress Management
- Keywords
- military, suicide risk
- Medical subject headings
- Suicide Prevention, Suicide
What participants receive
What participants receive. In a randomised study each person is assigned to one group by chance.
Wingman-ConnectBehavioural
Training occurs in three 2-hr blocks over several days in class groups. 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. To extend training impact, facilitators implement activities once per quarter that bring concepts into base activities. Six months of text messages (1-2 per week) to reinforce and extend program concepts and skills.
Stress ManagementBehavioural
Stress management training (also done in class groups) reviews the basics of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis stress-response system; common experiences of stress (physiological, cognitive, emotional); the impact of chronic stress on the brain and other domains of health; how exercise reduces harmful effects of stress; and relaxation techniques that have been shown to reduce stress and adverse effects of stress on health. Additional modules review the physiological stress response and effects of stress on health; introduces how cognition influences stress responses; common cognitive distortions/attributions are reviewed that affect stress including strategies to strengthen protective cognitive responses. Six months of text messages (1-2 per week) to reinforce and extend program concepts and skills.
| Study group | Role | What they receive |
|---|---|---|
| Wingman Connect | Experimental | Wingman-Connect (Wyman et al., 2020 \& 2022) 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. Receives: Behavioral: Wingman-Connect |
| Active Control | Active comparator | Active control is stress management training of cognitive and behavioral strategies. Receives: Behavioral: Stress Management |
What is being measured
The primary outcome is the main question the study is designed to answer.
At-risk cut-off of computerized adaptive testing for suicide severity
Participants will complete a computerized adaptive test for suicide severity. Participants will answer questions about their mental health. Participant scores will range from 0-100 with 100 indicating higher likelihood of current suicidal ideation and higher risk for suicide attempt. Scores above the published cut-off score greater than 34.
Measured: 1 year
Secondary outcomes (2)
Mean computerized adaptive testing for depression
Participants will complete a computerized adaptive test for depression. Participants will answer questions about their mental health. Participant scores will range from 0-100 with 100 indicating higher risk for clinical depression.
Measured: 1 year
Mean Behavioral Occupational Performance Outcomes
Participants will complete 5 yes/no questions about job performance, including if superior has expressed concerns about work performance, if Airman has received corrective training for substandard performance, received a negative counseling statement, received a Letter of Reprimand. The sum of affirmative responses will be calculated. Scores will range from 0-5 with 5 indicating greater work impairment.
Measured: 1 year
Timeline
From the start of the study to its completion; the mark is today. Estimated dates are the sponsor’s plan.
- First posted1 Aug 2023
- Study start27 Jan 2025
- Primary completion28 Feb 2028 (estimated)
- Study completion31 Aug 2028 (estimated)
Resources
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govThe registry entry this page is built from, with its full change history.
- Publications (2)Papers the sponsor has linked to this study.
- Other trials for Suicide PreventionStudies of the same condition, open and under way.
- More trials run by University of RochesterThe sponsor's other registered studies.
- 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
- Interventional
- Phase
- Phase N/A
- Primary purpose
- Prevention
- Allocation
- Randomised
- Intervention model
- Parallel groups
- Model description
- Classes will be randomized at Initial Technical Training. 396 classes of USAF personnel will be randomized at a 1:2 ratio to Wingman-Connect or to an active control (N=2,970 Airmen) and followed for one year.
- Masking
- None (open label)
- Enrolment
- 2,970 participants (estimated)
Sponsor and investigators
- Lead sponsor
- University of Rochester
- Sponsor type
- University, hospital or other
- Responsible party
- Principal investigator, Peter A. Wyman, University of Rochester
IDs, dates and publications
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT05967364
- Sponsor's protocol ID
- 8549
- Status last verified
- Mar 2026
- First submitted
- 21 Jul 2023
- Last updated
- 20 Mar 2026
- Results posted
- No
- Data monitoring committee
- Yes
- FDA-regulated drug
- No
- FDA-regulated device
- No
- Individual data sharing
- Yes: The final dataset that we will share will include self-reported demographic and behavioral data from assessments with subjects. All data will be de-identified prior to receipt by the repository, but the information needed to generate a global unique identifier for the NIMH Data Archive (NDA) will be collected for each subject. 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.
Publications
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.
PubMed 35131614Wyman 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.
PubMed 33084901
Study at a glance
From the registry record, last updated by the sponsor on 20 Mar 2026. Recruitment status is as the sponsor reported it: confirm with the study team.
- Official title
- Career Enhancement Training Study Delivered Across Career Phases
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT05967364
- Acronym / sponsor ID
- 8549
- Conditions
- Suicide Prevention, Suicide
- Keywords
- military, suicide risk
- Study type
- Interventional
- Recruitment status
- Enrolling by invitation
- Enrolment
- 2,970 participants (estimated)
- Lead sponsor
- University of RochesterUniversity, hospital or other
- Study start
- 27 Jan 2025 (actual)
- Primary completion
- 28 Feb 2028 (estimated)
- Study completion
- 31 Aug 2028 (estimated)
- First posted
- 1 Aug 2023 (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.
This trial tests the effectiveness of the Wingman-Connect Program delivered by USAF personnel on individual suicide risk. Randomization will be among classes at Initial Technical Training, in which 396 classes of USAF personnel will be randomized to Wingman-Connect or to an active control training (N=2,970 Airmen) and followed for one year. These classes send a proportion of graduates to Air Force Global Strike Command (AFGSC) \& Air Mobility Command (AMC) operational bases.
Detailed description
Military suicide rates increased 61% from 2008 - 2019 and rates have increased faster in the U.S. Air Force (USAF) compared to other branches. Currently, the predominant military suicide prevention approach is to try to remediate suicide risk after suicidal individuals are identified. No RCT-validated universal programs shown to reduce vulnerability to suicide are in wide use. To fill this gap, the Wingman-Connect Program is a group-based intervention that strengthens protective relationship networks and skills for managing career and personal challenges, to reduce vulnerability to suicide across the broad USAF population. This proposed trial tests the effectiveness of the Wingman-Connect Program on individual suicide risk. We will examine theory-driven mediators and moderators and implementation of the program as delivered by US Air Force (not research) personnel under real world conditions across early career phases. This effectiveness study is the critical next stage in the translational pipeline toward large-scale roll-out to prevent suicide deaths. Classes will be randomized at Initial Technical Training (Sheppard AFB), in which 396 classes of USAF personnel will be randomized to Wingman-Connect or to an active control (N=2,970 Airmen) and followed for one year. Classes will be selected over 36 months to reach the enrollment target of 2,970. We are recruiting technical training classes that train Airmen in specific jobs that support the mission and aircraft of AFGSC \& AMC MajComs. After baseline assessments (prior to randomization of classes), participants in the two conditions will complete an additional 2 assessments: 6 months and 12 months. During the follow up period, a portion of enrolled subjects will receive duty assignments at bases where the AF is implementing Wingman-Connect, providing an opportunity to learn about how varying exposure levels impacts them.
Aim 1: Test effectiveness of Wingman-Connect on reducing self-reported suicide risk. We will evaluate individual level outcomes of suicide risk, depression, and occupational problems up to 1 yr.
Aim 2: Evaluate theory-proposed network health mediators and moderators. Wingman-Connect is expected to increase Airmen's positive social bonds, group cohesion, morale, and healthy coping norms in their social networks; those changes will contribute to reduced suicide risk, depression and occupational problems.
Study design
- Primary purpose
- Prevention
- Allocation
- Randomised
- Intervention model
- Parallel groups
- Masking
- None (open label)
- Number of arms
- 2
- Model description
- Classes will be randomized at Initial Technical Training. 396 classes of USAF personnel will be randomized at a 1:2 ratio to Wingman-Connect or to an active control (N=2,970 Airmen) and followed for one year.
| Arm | Type | Receives |
|---|---|---|
| Wingman Connect | Experimental | Behavioral: Wingman-ConnectWingman-Connect (Wyman et al., 2020 \& 2022) 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. |
| Active Control | Active comparator | Behavioral: Stress ManagementActive control is stress management training of cognitive and behavioral strategies. |
Who may qualify
- Ages
- 18 to 40 years
- Sex
- All
- Healthy volunteers
- Not accepted
- Age groups
- Adult
Key inclusion criteria (2 listed)
- Airmen-in-Training (AiT) recruited from technical training classes that train Airmen in jobs that support the mission and aircraft of AFGSC \& AMC MajComs.
- Eligible classes must be between 37-91 class days in length
Key exclusion criteria (2 listed)
- Airmen from other countries receiving training in US
- Airmen who are not in their first year of enlistment
Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening; this overview does not establish that a patient qualifies. Full inclusion and exclusion criteria.
Interventions
| Intervention | Type | Arms |
|---|---|---|
| Wingman-ConnectTraining occurs in three 2-hr blocks over several days in class groups. 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. To extend training impact, facilitators implement activities once per quarter that bring concepts into base activities. Six months of text messages (1-2 per week) to reinforce and extend program concepts and skills. | Behavioural | Wingman Connect |
| Stress ManagementStress management training (also done in class groups) reviews the basics of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis stress-response system; common experiences of stress (physiological, cognitive, emotional); the impact of chronic stress on the brain and other domains of health; how exercise reduces harmful effects of stress; and relaxation techniques that have been shown to reduce stress and adverse effects of stress on health. Additional modules review the physiological stress response and effects of stress on health; introduces how cognition influences stress responses; common cognitive distortions/attributions are reviewed that affect stress including strategies to strengthen protective cognitive responses. Six months of text messages (1-2 per week) to reinforce and extend program concepts and skills. | Behavioural | Active Control |
Primary outcome
At-risk cut-off of computerized adaptive testing for suicide severity
Time frame: 1 year
Participants will complete a computerized adaptive test for suicide severity. Participants will answer questions about their mental health. Participant scores will range from 0-100 with 100 indicating higher likelihood of current suicidal ideation and higher risk for suicide attempt. Scores above the published cut-off score greater than 34.
2 secondary outcomes
Mean computerized adaptive testing for depression
Time frame: 1 year
Mean Behavioral Occupational Performance Outcomes
Time frame: 1 year
Results and safety
This study is still under way. Results are not available in the source record yet.
Research links
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govLast updated by the sponsor 20 Mar 2026.
- Background: PubMed 35131614Wyman 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.
- Background: PubMed 33084901Wyman 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.
- Individual participant dataSharing planned: Yes. The final dataset that we will share will include self-reported demographic and behavioral data from assessments with subjects. All data will be de-identified prior to receipt by the repository, but the information needed to generate a global unique identifier for the NIMH Data Archive (NDA) will be collected for each subject. 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.
Related trials for Suicide Prevention
Recruiting
Preventing Suicidal Behavior With Diverse High-Risk Youth in Acute Care Settings
Suicide, Attempted, Suicide Ideation
Recruiting
Exploring The Effect of TikTok Trigger Warnings in a Clinical Sample of Youth at Risk of Suicide
Suicide Prevention, Social Media Users
Not yet recruitingPhase 1/2
Reducing Firearm Suicide Among Veterans: Evaluating the Effectiveness of Peer-Delivered Lethal Means Counseling
Suicide, Secure Firearm Storage
Not yet recruitingPhase 2
Intravenous Ketamine for Acute Suicidal Crisis and Psychiatric Hospital Length of Stay
Suicidal Ideation, Suicidal Behavior
Recruiting
Evaluation of a Multi-Layered Digital Phenotyping, Digital Safety Plan, and Pharmacogenomic Intervention for Suicide Prevention in Adults With Depression
Depressive Disorder, Major Depressive Disorder, Suicidal Ideation
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.
The record lists no contact. Use the official record to reach the sponsor.
1 site in 1 country: see every site and its status.
Questions about this trial
What is this clinical trial studying?
A study testing Wingman-Connect and Stress Management in people with Suicide Prevention and Suicide, run by University of Rochester 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 2 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: enrolling by invitation, as of the sponsor's last update on 20 Mar 2026. 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?
This study is still under way. Results are not available in the source record yet.
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?
At-risk cut-off of computerized adaptive testing for suicide severity (time frame: 1 year). 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 NCT05967364, which also lists 2 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 20 Mar 2026; AzTrials last refreshed its copy on 6 Nov 2026.