STARS: Strategies to assist navy recruits' success

The purpose of the Strategies to Assist Navy Recruits' Success (STARS) project, a prospective cluster-randomized intervention trial, was to determine the effects of the BOOT Camp Survival Training for Navy Recruits - A Prescription (BOOT STRAP) mental health intervention on divisions of Navy recruits. A total of 1,199 recruits participated in the study. The intervention was provided weekly during basic training to an entire division. The percentage of recruits separated from the Navy who did not receive the intervention was almost twice as large as compared to the recruits who did receive intervention (10.33% vs. 5.17%; p < 0.05) during surge training. The intervention group recruits developed significantly higher group cohesion, higher scores on problem-solving coping strategies, and higher perceived social support, while reporting lower scores on anger expression coping strategies than the control group recruits. Potential cost savings per year on recruit training were estimated to be $18.6 million. Training facilitators and conducting the group intervention would cost an estimated $1.5 million per year. Building on previous research, the results of this study have the potential to decrease attrition, improve recruit performance levels, and provide a cost-effective method of enhancing recruit retention.