https://aub.ie/MilitaryREACH-Taft2021

Taft, C. T., Gallagher, M. W., Hoffmann, A., Cole, H. E., & Creech, S. K. (2022). Does Strength at Home for Couples prevent sexual aggression in returning veterans? Examining randomized controlled trial findings. Psychological Trauma: Theory, Research, Practice, and Policy. 14(3), 431–436. https://doi.org/10.1037/tra0001034

This randomized controlled trial tested the effectiveness of the Strength at Home Couples treatment in reducing sexually coercive behaviors (e.g., insisting on having sex when partner does not want to) in a sample of military couples. The Strength at Home Couples treatment uses a group setting to help military couples improve communication, trust, and closeness, thereby reducing negative couple interactions like sexual coercion. Of the 69 participating couples, 37 were assigned to the Strength at Home Couples program, and 32 were assigned to a support group program for comparison. Couples reported on sexual coercion before and after the intervention, at a six-month follow-up, and at a 12-month followup. Couples in both programs reported similar reductions in sexually coercive behaviors over time, but the Strength at Home Couples program produced reductions in sexual coercion in less time.

https://doi.org/10.1037/tra0001034

Couples

Multiple branches

Guard
Reserve
Active Duty

Active duty service member
Spouse of service member or veteran
Guard/Reserve member

Adulthood (18 yrs & older)
Young adulthood (18 - 29 yrs)
Thirties (30 - 39 yrs)
Middle age (40 - 64 yrs)

Quantitative Study
Longitudinal Study
Secondary Analysis

Taft, Casey T., Gallagher, Matthew W., Hoffmann, Amy, Cole, Hannah E., Creech, Suzannah K.

Objective: Sexual aggression between intimate partners is a serious problem. This study examined this problem in returning male veterans and their female partners, and the effectiveness of an intervention for intimate partner violence (IPV) in preventing sexual aggression using data gathered during a randomized controlled trial. Method: Rates of sexual aggression and the effectiveness of the Strength at Home Couples (SAH-C) intervention were examined in a sample of 69 couples with a returning male veteran from Iraq/Afghanistan who participated in a randomized controlled trial for intimate partner violence (IPV) prevention. Couples were assessed at 4 timepoints: immediately prior to the intervention, immediately following the intervention, 6 months postintervention, and 12 months postintervention. Results: It was found that 57% of couples reported the presence of intimate partner sexual aggression in their relationship across the assessment points, with higher rates reported at baseline than other time points and for veterans relative to their partners. The most commonly endorsed items were 'I insisted on sex when my partner didn’t want to' and 'I made my partner have sex without a condom.' Overall, couples randomized to SAH-C showed greater declines in sexual aggression than couples who were randomized to Supportive Prevention, with particularly strong differences across conditions from baseline to posttreatment. Conclusions: These data suggest that this trauma-informed couples-based intervention based on a social information processing model may assist in reducing intimate partner sexual aggression and builds on prior findings demonstrating the program be associated with the prevention of physical and psychological IPV. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2021 APA, all rights reserved)

American Psychological Association

Article
REACH Publication

Behavioral Science Division, National Center for PTSD, CTT
University of Houston, MWG
VA Boston Healthcare System, AH
Behavioral Science Division, National Center for PTSD, HEC
VA VISN 17 Center of Excellence for Research on Returning War Veterans, SKC