Evaluation of the Warrior Programme intervention among UK ex-service personnel

Background Research has shown that of the myriad services available to veterans in the UK, very few have been independently evaluated. This report presents the results of a randomized controlled trial assessing the impact of Time Line Therapy (TM) delivered by the Warrior Programme (a third-sector organization). Aims This study was aimed to determine if the intervention is effective in reducing emotional and functional difficulties in ex-service personnel. Methods A mixed-design analysis of variance model was used to investigate whether the Warrior Programme had a statistically significant impact on self-reported scores. The intervention and control group provided data on measures prior to and immediately after the intervention, and at 3-month follow-up. Results Those in the intervention group (n = 23) reported statistically significant improvements in self-reported scores immediately following intervention: the Clinical Outcomes in Routine Evaluation (CORE) scores (CORE global distress mean difference [MD] = 45.0, 95% confidence interval [CI] 31-60) (CORE subjective well-being MD = 5.9, 95% CI 3.5-8.3) (CORE functioning MD = 16.7, 95% CI 11.4-21.9) (CORE problems/symptoms MD = 19.4, 95% CI 13.1-25.7), general self-efficacy (MD = -9.8, 95% CI -13.6 to -6.8), anxiety (MD = 8.6, 95% CI 5.2-12.1), depression (MD = 10, 95% CI 6.6-13.5), post-traumatic stress disorder (MD = 26.3, 95% CI 17-25) and functional impairment (MD = 11.1, 95% CI 5.3-16.8) over time, compared to the control group (n = 29). However, score improvement was not sustained over time or statistically significant at follow-up. Conclusions The Warrior Programme was effective in reducing emotional and functional difficulties in ex-service personnel immediately after the intervention, but the effect was not sustained at 3-month follow-up.