Sexual assault victimization is a common and particularly harmful form of trauma that is associated with increased risk for high-risk drinking and other conditions of public health concern, such as PTSD. Given evidence that sexual assault survivors who have low social support or receive negative social reactions to sexual assault disclosure are more likely to experience PTSD and drinking problems, improving social support is a novel target for intervention. The proposed study will attempt to prevent the onset of high-risk drinking and PTSD in sexual assault survivors by developing and testing a web-based early intervention aimed at increasing contact with social supporters and mitigating the harm of negative social reactions; ultimately, results will contribute to advancing the field's understanding of the potential for social support to mitigate the harm of trauma.
This study involves developing, modifying, and preliminarily testing an intervention to prevent high-risk drinking and PTSD in women who have experienced sexual assault (SA) in the past 10 weeks. In the pilot trial phase of this study, intervention feasibility will be tested in an open trial with N = 40 women with past-10-week SA histories, active drinking, and elevated distress. Participants will complete surveys at baseline, termination, and 3-month follow-up. Participants will be randomized to either the intervention (N = 20) or assessment-only control (N = 20). We hypothesize that (H1) most participants will respond positively on items assessing satisfaction with the intervention, (H2) participants will report above-average usability on a standardized measure, (H3) completion rates for daily activities will be similar to previous web-based interventions, (H4) participants will show significant learning as evidenced by increases in correct responses to knowledge questions from baseline to post, and (H5) participants in the intervention condition will evidence less high-risk drinking and PTSD at 3-month follow-up than participants in the assessment-only condition.
Study Type
INTERVENTIONAL
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Purpose
PREVENTION
Masking
NONE
Enrollment
41
A app-based cognitive-behavioral intervention to prevent the development of PTSD and high-risk drinking in recently-victimized adults
University of Washington School of Medicine
Seattle, Washington, United States
Problem Drinking Scores at Baseline and 3 Weeks
Sum scores on Rutgers Alcohol Problem Index- Short Form (RAPI-S), which assesses alcohol use consequences. Range: 0-64; higher scores indicate worse outcome.
Time frame: Baseline, post-intervention (3 weeks after baseline)
Problem Drinking Scores at Baseline and 3 Months
Sum scores on Rutgers Alcohol Problem Index- Short Form (RAPI-S), which assesses alcohol use consequences. Range: 0-64; higher scores indicate worse outcome.
Time frame: Baseline, 3 month follow-up
Posttraumatic Stress Symptom Severity Score at Baseline and 3 Weeks
Sum scores on the Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Checklist for the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders-5 (PCL-5), which assesses posttraumatic stress symptom severity. Range: 0-80; higher scores indicate worse outcome.
Time frame: Baseline, post-intervention (3 weeks after baseline)
Posttraumatic Stress Symptom Severity Score at Baseline and 3 Months
Sum scores on the Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Checklist for the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders-5 (PCL-5), which assesses posttraumatic stress symptom severity. Range: 0-80; higher scores indicate worse outcome.
Time frame: Baseline, 3 month follow-up
Anxiety
Sum scores on Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7 (GAD-7), which assesses symptoms of anxiety. Range: 0-21; higher scores indicate worse outcome.
Time frame: Baseline, post-intervention (3 weeks after baseline), 3 month follow-up
Coping Self-efficacy
Mean scores on the Trauma Coping Self-Efficacy Scale (CSE-T), which assesses one's perceived ability to manage the demands of recovering from a potentially-traumatic event. Range: 1 to 7; higher scores indicate better outcome.
Time frame: Baseline, post-intervention (3 weeks after baseline), 3 month follow-up
Depression
Sum scores on the Patient Health Questionnaire-8 (PHQ-8), which assesses symptoms of depression. Range: 0-24; higher scores indicate worse outcome.
Time frame: Baseline, post-intervention (3 weeks after baseline), 3 month follow-up
Alcohol Consumption (Quantity)
Number of drinks per week reported on the Daily Drinking Questionnaire
Time frame: Baseline, post-intervention (3 weeks after baseline), 3 month follow-up
Alcohol Consumption (Frequency)
Number of drinking days per week reported on the Daily Drinking Questionnaire
Time frame: Baseline, post-intervention (3 weeks after baseline), 3 month follow-up
Alcohol Consumption (Hours)
Hours spent drinking per week reported on the Daily Drinking Questionnaire
Time frame: Baseline, post-intervention (3 weeks after baseline), 3 month follow-up
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