The purpose of this study is to evaluate the AboutFace peer education website for the purpose of reducing stigma and improving attitudes toward seeking mental health services among Veterans.
Research suggests that at least 1 in 10 Veterans will meet criteria for posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) related to their military experience. Treatment is widely available to Veterans with PTSD, and national dissemination initiatives have increased Veterans' access to best practice interventions. However, treatment seeking remains strikingly low among Veterans with PTSD. In fact, most Veterans with PTSD do not seek mental health services due to perceived stigma and other associated barriers. The National Center for PTSD recently developed and launched AboutFace, a peer education resource for Veterans. The investigators of this study believe that AboutFace has tremendous potential to reduce stigma and improve attitudes toward seeking mental health services among Veterans. However, it has not yet been evaluated. Investigators have partnered with the National Center for PTSD to launch this mixed methods pilot evaluation of AboutFace. There will be two phases to this study. During Phase I- Usability, 20 Veterans will be recruited to participate in individual interviews during which they will be asked to describe the ease of use of the AboutFace website for the researchers. During Phase II- Feasibility, 60 Veterans will be randomized to one of two conditions- About Face or Usual Care. All participants will complete several brief assessments measuring PTSD symptoms and attitudes toward seeking mental health services. Participants will then be randomized to either receive a link to the About Face website or to receive a link to a general online brochure about PTSD. After two weeks, participants will complete the assessment measures once again to determine any changes in attitudes toward seeking mental health services and potential changes in PTSD symptoms.
Study Type
INTERVENTIONAL
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Purpose
HEALTH_SERVICES_RESEARCH
Masking
NONE
Enrollment
60
AboutFace is an informational website that utilizes digital storytelling to describe PTSD symptoms and different treatments for PTSD.
Ralph H. Johnson VA Medical Center, Charleston, SC
Charleston, South Carolina, United States
Endorsed and Anticipated Stigma Inventory (EASI)
THE EASI assesses for perceptions of treatment effectiveness, stigma, and external barriers to treatment seeking. Answers are ranked from 1 to 5 with 1 being "Strongly Disagree" and 5 being "Strongly Agree" and higher scores are indicative of greater stigma. Total scores can range from 40 to 190. Phase I participants did not participate in Phase II (the clinical trial portion of the study) and were not assessed using this measure.
Time frame: pre-treatment (baseline) & post-treatment (two-week) assessment
PTSD Checklist (PCL-V)
The PCL-V is a 20-item self-report measure that assesses PTSD severity. Individual item responses can range from 0-4 with 0 being "Not At All" and 4 being "Extremely" and total scores can range from 0 to 80. Higher numbers on the PCL-V are indicative of greater PTSD severity. Phase I participants did not participate in Phase II (the clinical trial portion of the study) and were not assessed using this measure.
Time frame: pre-treatment (baseline) & post-treatment (2-week) assessment
PTSD Treatment Initiators
percentage/rate of PTSD treatment initiation at post assessment (2-weeks) Phase I participants did not participate in Phase II (the clinical trial portion of the study) and were not assessed using this measure.
Time frame: two weeks post assessment
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