Implementation Lessons Learned in Scaling Up a Network-Enhancement Suicide Prevention Model

Peter Wyman, PhD
University of Rochester

Bryan Yates, BA
University of Rochester

WIlliam Bevens, PhD
University of California San Diego

Gregory Aarons, PhD
University of California San Diego

Nicole Stadnick, PhD, MPH
University of California San Diego

ABSTRACT:
Suicide rates among US military members have steadily increased since 2010, and suicide is now the first- or second-leading manner of death across branches. The US Air Force and university-based prevention scientists launched a research-practice partnership (2014) to develop and test an ecologically-valid, unit-level program: Wingman-Guardian Connect (WGC). Prior to this partnership, no RCT-validated programs shown to reduce suicide risk across broad military populations were in wide use, and most training models were adapted from programs developed in other contexts.

This presentation will briefly review WGC’s interactive network enhancement training model and RCT results (N= 1500) showing WGC reduces suicide risk, depression symptoms and work problems. The primary focus will be on lessons being learned through ongoing force-wide expansion of WGC to 68 bases as the new Air Force Resilience Program. This presentation will summarize the design of an ongoing hybrid effectiveness-implementation trial (NIMH funded) testing WGC delivered by USAF personnel on 9 early-adopter bases (20,000 personnel exposed to WGC) along with findings from implementer feedback and performance assessments being used to refine the implementation package. We will also describe challenges and facilitators to implementation of this new program in the evolving USAF landscape impacting resources and personnel to deliver preventive interventions on installations.