Emotion RegulationGBT RCTNCT07096271
Get Better Together: Relationship Education For Military Couples
A study testing Get Better Together (GBT) in people with Emotion Regulation and Relationship Conflict, run by Henry M. Jackson Foundation for the Advancement of Military Medicine at 1 site in United States.
Trial summary
This study is testing a program called Get Better Together, a relationship education program designed to help military couples effectively navigate life stressors as a team. The goal is to find out if attending Get Better Together improves mental health and relationship skills, and reduces problems like alcohol… Read more about this study
- Who is it for?
- Ages 18 years and olderHealthy volunteers can take part
- Conditions the study is for
- Emotion Regulation, Relationship Conflict, Suicide Risk
- What is being tested?
- Get Better Together (GBT)
- Type of treatment
- Lifestyle or therapy programme
- Could I receive a placebo?
- No, everyone receives an active treatment
- How many people
- 1,000 participants
- Where
- 1 siteUnited States
- Study dates
- 22 Sep 2025to Jul 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 years and older
- All sexes
- Healthy volunteers accepted
- Adult, Older adult
Who may be able to join
- 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.
Who cannot join
- 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
Trial locations and contacts
1 site in 1 country. Contact the study team or a site near you to ask about taking part.
United States1 site, 1 recruiting
- Recruiting
Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences
Bethesda, Maryland, 20814
Sarah Carter, Ph.D, 301-400-5675, GetBetterTogether@usuhs.edu
About this study
Official title: Better Together: A Relationship Enrichment Program Targeting Transdiagnostic Interpersonal Emotion Regulation Among Military Couples
This study is testing a program called Get Better Together, a relationship education program designed to help military couples effectively navigate life stressors as a team. The goal is to find out if attending Get Better Together improves mental health and relationship skills, and reduces problems like alcohol misuse, aggression, and suicide risk. Couples who join the study will be randomly placed into one of two groups. One group will attend Get Better Together at a weekend retreat. The other group will continue their usual activities and later receive access to an online relationship education program. All participants will complete surveys before the retreat and again 2, 4, and 6 months later.
- Conditions
- Emotion Regulation, Relationship Conflict, Suicide Risk, Alcohol Use, Intimate Partner Violence (IPV), Relationship Distress
- Being tested
- Get Better Together (GBT)
- Keywords
- Behavioral: Get Better Together (GBT), military, intimate relationships, suicide prevention, primary prevention, emotion regulation, relationship education, interpersonal emotion regulation
- Medical subject headings
- Emotional Regulation, Alcohol Drinking, Suicide Prevention
What participants receive
What participants receive. In a randomised study each person is assigned to one group by chance.
Get Better Together (GBT)Behavioural
Get Better Together is a couple-based, primary prevention program designed to reduce risk for suicidal thoughts and behaviors, problematic alcohol use, and intimate partner violence by addressing two transdiagnostic drivers: emotion dysregulation and relationship conflict. The intervention is an adaptation of the empirically supported Prevention and Relationship Enhancement Program (PREP), modified in collaboration with military stakeholders to meet the unique cultural and contextual needs of military couples.
The GBT curriculum includes approximately 10 hours of structured content presented using didactic instruction, video demonstrations, group discussions, and guided couple exercises. Skills focus on interpersonal emotion regulation (e.g., emotion identification, acceptance, reappraisal, and problem solving) and evidence-based communication strategies (e.g., structured communication strategies, conflict de-escalation).
| Study group | Role | What they receive |
|---|---|---|
| Get Better Together (GBT) | Experimental | Participants assigned to this arm will attend an in-person weekend retreat where they receive approximately 10 hours of structured curriculum focused on equipping couples with evidence informed strategies to cope with stress as a team, improve emotion regulation, and reduce conflict.
GBT includes modules on emotion awareness, acceptance, reappraisal, constructive problem solving, and communication. The format integrates didactic material, videos, group discussions, and couples' skill practice. All materials and delivery methods have been tailored for military populations based on extensive stakeholder input and field testing. Receives: Behavioral: Get Better Together (GBT) |
| Control Group | No intervention | Couples in the control group will not receive any structured relationship enrichment programming (e.g., retreats or workshops) during the 6-month follow-up period. After the 6-month follow-up period, couples in the control group will be provided access to ePREP, a self-paced on line version of the PREP curriculum. |
What is being measured
The primary outcome is the main question the study is designed to answer.
Suicide Cognitions
Assessed using the Suicide Cognition Scale-Revised (SCS-R), a 16-item validated self-report measure capturing cognitive risk factors for suicidal behavior. Scores range from 0 to 64, with higher scores reflect greater risk.
Measured: Baseline, 2-month, 4-month, and 6-month follow-up
Alcohol Misuse
Measured using the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test-Consumption (AUDIT-C), a 3-item measure designed to identify hazardous drinking. Scores range from 0 to 12, with higher scores reflect greater likelihood of drinking affecting one's health and safety.
Measured: Baseline, 2-month, 4-month, and 6-month follow-up
Intimate Partner Violence
Measured using the Revised Conflict Tactics Scale-Short Form (CTS2S), a 20-item measure assessing multiple types of relationship abuse. Dichotomous scores will indicate the presence of any form of abuse. Dichotomous subscale scores will indicate the presence of assault, injury, psychological aggression, or sexual coercion.
Measured: Baseline, 2-month, 4-month, and 6-month follow-up
Secondary outcomes (4)
Emotion Dysregulation
Measured using the Difficulties in Emotion Regulation Scale - 18 Item (DERS-18), which assesses six dimensions of emotion dysregulation: awareness, clarity, nonacceptance, impulse, goals, and strategies. Total scores range from 18 to 90, with higher scores indicating more severe difficulties regulating one's emotions.
Measured: Baseline, 2-month, 4-month, and 6-month follow-up
Relationship Conflict
Evaluated using the Ineffective Arguing Inventory (IAI), an 8-item scale measuring perceived patterns of unresolved conflict and communication breakdown in romantic relationships. Total scores range from 8 to 40, with higher scores indicating a higher degree of ineffective communication.
Measured: Baseline, 2-month, 4-month, and 6-month follow-up
Interpersonal Emotion Regulation with Romantic Partner
Measured using the Dyadic Coping Inventory (DCI), an 37-item self-report measure assessing how couples communicate stress and cope together (supportive, delegated, negative, and joint coping). Total scores range from 37 to 185, with higher scores indicated higher levels of dyadic coping.
Measured: Baseline, 2-month, 4-month, and 6-month follow-up
Relationship Functioning
Assessed using the Revised Dyadic Adjustment Scale (RDAS), a 14-item self-report measure evaluating relationship functioning across three domains: Dyadic Consensus, Dyadic Satisfaction, and Dyadic Cohesion. Items assess agreement on relationship issues, frequency of shared activities, and satisfaction with the relationship. Total scores range from 0 to 69, with higher scores indicating greater relationship satisfaction.
Measured: Baseline, 2-month, 4-month, and 6-month follow-up
Timeline
From the start of the study to its completion; the mark is today. Estimated dates are the sponsor’s plan.
- First posted31 Jul 2025
- Study start22 Sep 2025
- Primary completionMay 2027 (estimated)
- Study completionJul 2028 (estimated)
Resources
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govThe registry entry this page is built from, with its full change history.
- Other trials for Emotion RegulationStudies 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
- Interventional
- Phase
- Phase N/A
- Primary purpose
- Prevention
- Allocation
- Randomised
- Intervention model
- Parallel groups
- Masking
- None (open label)
- Enrolment
- 1,000 participants (estimated)
Sponsor and investigators
- Lead sponsor
- Henry M. Jackson Foundation for the Advancement of Military Medicine
- Sponsor type
- University, hospital or other
- Collaborators
- Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences
- Responsible party
- Sponsor
- Investigators
- Sarah Carter, Ph.D., Principal investigator, Henry M. Jackson Foundation for the Advancement of Military Medicine
IDs, dates and publications
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT07096271
- Sponsor's protocol ID
- USUHS.2022-100
- Other IDs
- HT94252410843
- Acronym
- GBT RCT
- Status last verified
- Sep 2025
- First submitted
- 24 Jul 2025
- Last updated
- 20 Oct 2025
- Results posted
- No
- Data monitoring committee
- No
- FDA-regulated drug
- No
- FDA-regulated device
- No
- Individual data sharing
- Yes: De-identified individual participant data collected through self-report surveys will be shared, including composite scores, coded record based variables (e.g., derived from DoD administrative or health records), and contextual data related to study implementation. No shared data will include personally identifiable information (PII) or protected health information (PHI). All data sharing will comply with IRB, institutional, and federal requirements.
Study at a glance
From the registry record, last updated by the sponsor on 20 Oct 2025. Recruitment status is as the sponsor reported it: confirm with the study team.
- Official title
- Better Together: A Relationship Enrichment Program Targeting Transdiagnostic Interpersonal Emotion Regulation Among Military Couples
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT07096271
- Acronym / sponsor ID
- GBT RCT / USUHS.2022-100
- Conditions
- Emotion Regulation, Relationship Conflict, Suicide Risk, Alcohol Use, Intimate Partner Violence (IPV), Relationship Distress
- Keywords
- Behavioral: Get Better Together (GBT), military, intimate relationships, suicide prevention, primary prevention, emotion regulation, relationship education, interpersonal emotion regulation
- Study type
- Interventional
- Recruitment status
- Recruiting
- Enrolment
- 1,000 participants (estimated)
- Lead sponsor
- Henry M. Jackson Foundation for the Advancement of Military MedicineUniversity, hospital or other
- Collaborators
- Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences
- Study start
- 22 Sep 2025 (actual)
- Primary completion
- May 2027 (estimated)
- Study completion
- Jul 2028 (estimated)
- First posted
- 31 Jul 2025 (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 study is testing a program called Get Better Together, a relationship education program designed to help military couples effectively navigate life stressors as a team. The goal is to find out if attending Get Better Together improves mental health and relationship skills, and reduces problems like alcohol misuse, aggression, and suicide risk. Couples who join the study will be randomly placed into one of two groups. One group will attend Get Better Together at a weekend retreat. The other group will continue their usual activities and later receive access to an online relationship education program. All participants will complete surveys before the retreat and again 2, 4, and 6 months later.
Study design
- Primary purpose
- Prevention
- Allocation
- Randomised
- Intervention model
- Parallel groups
- Masking
- None (open label)
- Number of arms
- 2
| Arm | Type | Receives |
|---|---|---|
| Get Better Together (GBT) | Experimental | Behavioral: Get Better Together (GBT)Participants assigned to this arm will attend an in-person weekend retreat where they receive approximately 10 hours of structured curriculum focused on equipping couples with evidence informed strategies to cope with stress as a team, improve emotion regulation, and reduce conflict. GBT includes modules on emotion awareness, acceptance, reappraisal, constructive problem solving, and communication. The format integrates didactic material, videos, group discussions, and couples' skill practice. All materials and delivery methods have been tailored for military populations based on extensive stakeholder input and field testing. |
| Control Group | No intervention | –Couples in the control group will not receive any structured relationship enrichment programming (e.g., retreats or workshops) during the 6-month follow-up period. After the 6-month follow-up period, couples in the control group will be provided access to ePREP, a self-paced on line version of the PREP curriculum. |
Who may qualify
- Ages
- 18 years and older
- Sex
- All
- Healthy volunteers
- Accepted
- Age groups
- Adult, Older adult
Key inclusion criteria (4 listed)
- 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.
Key exclusion criteria (3 listed)
- 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
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 |
|---|---|---|
| Get Better Together (GBT)Get Better Together is a couple-based, primary prevention program designed to reduce risk for suicidal thoughts and behaviors, problematic alcohol use, and intimate partner violence by addressing two transdiagnostic drivers: emotion dysregulation and relationship conflict. The intervention is an adaptation of the empirically supported Prevention and Relationship Enhancement Program (PREP), modified in collaboration with military stakeholders to meet the unique cultural and contextual needs of military couples. The GBT curriculum includes approximately 10 hours of structured content presented using didactic instruction, video demonstrations, group discussions, and guided couple exercises. Skills focus on interpersonal emotion regulation (e.g., emotion identification, acceptance, reappraisal, and problem solving) and evidence-based communication strategies (e.g., structured communication strategies, conflict de-escalation). | Behavioural | Get Better Together (GBT) |
Primary outcome
Suicide Cognitions
Time frame: Baseline, 2-month, 4-month, and 6-month follow-up
Assessed using the Suicide Cognition Scale-Revised (SCS-R), a 16-item validated self-report measure capturing cognitive risk factors for suicidal behavior. Scores range from 0 to 64, with higher scores reflect greater risk.
Alcohol Misuse
Time frame: Baseline, 2-month, 4-month, and 6-month follow-up
Measured using the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test-Consumption (AUDIT-C), a 3-item measure designed to identify hazardous drinking. Scores range from 0 to 12, with higher scores reflect greater likelihood of drinking affecting one's health and safety.
Intimate Partner Violence
Time frame: Baseline, 2-month, 4-month, and 6-month follow-up
Measured using the Revised Conflict Tactics Scale-Short Form (CTS2S), a 20-item measure assessing multiple types of relationship abuse. Dichotomous scores will indicate the presence of any form of abuse. Dichotomous subscale scores will indicate the presence of assault, injury, psychological aggression, or sexual coercion.
4 secondary outcomes
Emotion Dysregulation
Time frame: Baseline, 2-month, 4-month, and 6-month follow-up
Relationship Conflict
Time frame: Baseline, 2-month, 4-month, and 6-month follow-up
Interpersonal Emotion Regulation with Romantic Partner
Time frame: Baseline, 2-month, 4-month, and 6-month follow-up
Relationship Functioning
Time frame: Baseline, 2-month, 4-month, and 6-month follow-up
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 Oct 2025.
- Individual participant dataSharing planned: Yes. De-identified individual participant data collected through self-report surveys will be shared, including composite scores, coded record based variables (e.g., derived from DoD administrative or health records), and contextual data related to study implementation. No shared data will include personally identifiable information (PII) or protected health information (PHI). All data sharing will comply with IRB, institutional, and federal requirements.
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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.
Sarah Carter, Ph.D. principal investigator
Henry M. Jackson Foundation for the Advancement of Military Medicine
1 site in 1 country: see every site and its status.
Questions about this trial
What is this clinical trial studying?
A study testing Get Better Together (GBT) in people with Emotion Regulation and Relationship Conflict, run by Henry M. Jackson Foundation for the Advancement of Military Medicine 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 4 inclusion and 3 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: looking for participants now, as of the sponsor's last update on 20 Oct 2025. 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?
Contact Sarah Carter, Ph.D. (301-400-5675, GetBetterTogether@usuhs.edu), or a site near the patient. AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals.
What does the primary outcome measure?
Suicide Cognitions (time frame: Baseline, 2-month, 4-month, and 6-month follow-up). The study lists 3 primary outcomes in all. It is what the study was designed to measure, not a finding.
Where can I read the original study information?
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 Oct 2025.