(PS14-33) Intensive Clinical Program for Families of the Fallen (ICPFF): Outcomes of an Outpatient Program for PTSD and Prolonged Grief in Suicide-bereaved Military Family Members

Individuals who have lost a loved one to suicide often experience severe adverse mental health effects, including posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), depression, and anxiety, and have a higher risk of death by suicide themselves (Feigelman et al., 2018). The United States Department of Veterans Affairs reported that in 2023, the suicide rate for Veterans was 71.8% greater than that of non-Veteran adults (age and sex adjusted). As such, military families have a higher risk of experiencing bereavement from suicide or violent death than the general population. With the social stigma surrounding suicide additionally making it difficult to seek social support (Krysinska et al., 2023), there is a need for evidence-based postvention programs for surviving family members. 

The Intensive Clinical Program for Families of the Fallen (ICPFF) at Home Base, a Red Sox Foundation and Massachusetts General Hospital program, has been treating PTSD and co-occurring conditions in suicide bereaved military family members since its conception in 2017 (Ohye et al., 2020). The two-week multidisciplinary program includes two years' worth of evidence-based individual and group therapies (e.g., cognitive behavior therapy, prolonged exposure, prolonged grief disorder therapy), as well as integrative wellness components such as in dietary and fitness programs. 

We reported treatment outcomes from the ICPFF at Home Base between July 2017 and August 2023. Participants (N = 163) were partners, parents, siblings, and adult children of the deceased. Participants completed various self-reported instruments pre- and post-treatment, including instruments measuring psychological, psychosocial, and resilience traits. T-tests were conducted to compare pre/post treatment differences. 

Paired samples t-tests revealed that participants significantly improved from pre- to post-treatment for all measures (p < 0.001). Post-treatment scores decreased for PTSD symptom severity (Mpre = 46.13, Mpost = 26.44, d = 1.22), prolonged grief symptom severity (Mpre = 41.74, Mpost = 27.60, d = 1.07), and grief-related maladaptive thinking (Mpre = 58.61, Mpost = 39.78, d = 1.06), depressive symptom severity (Mpre = 13.60, Mpost = 8.39, d = 0.94), trauma-related guilt (Mpre = 35.81, Mpost = 25.86, d = 0.91), and grief-related avoidance (Mpre = 25.54, Mpost = 20.41, d = 0.37). Post-treatment scores increased for satisfaction with social roles and activities (Mpre = 19.73, Mpost = 25.69, d = 0.75), ability to participate in social roles and activities (Mpre = 10.55, Mpost = 12.90, d = 0.69), and resilience (Mpre = 21.53, Mpost = 24.62, d = 0.40). 

The results showed a strong support for an intensive outpatient program to treat suicide bereaved military family members, especially for PTSD, prolonged grief, and depression, along with grief-related maladaptive thinking and trauma-related guilt. Further quantitative and qualitative research is needed to establish best practices in treating this unique population.