The PTSD Family Coach app in veteran family members: Pilot randomized controlled trial
- van Stolk-Cooke, K., Wielgosz, J., Wu Hallenbeck, H., Chang, A., Rosen, C., Owen, J., & Kuhn, E. (2023). The PTSD Family Coach app in veteran family members: Pilot randomized controlled trial. JMIR Formative Research, 7, Article e42053. https://doi.org/10.2196/42053
- The PTSD Family Coach 1.0 app was designed to support the loved ones of Veterans with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). PTSD Family Coach 1.0 provided information on PTSD, self-care, and relationship functioning, as well as stress management tools, a stress self-assessment, and resources for connecting to other military families or professionals. This study examined the app’s feasibility (i.e., app engagement), acceptability (i.e., satisfaction and perceived helpfulness), and efficacy (i.e., treatment effects). 200 participants – primarily spouses – who lived with a Veteran with PTSD were randomly assigned to use either PTSD Family Coach 1.0 (n = 104) or a psychoeducation app (n = 96) for 4 weeks. Overall, the two apps were similar in terms of their feasibility, acceptability, and efficacy. Qualitative feedback informed improvements for the PTSD Family Coach app version 2.0.
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