Addressing the Health Concerns of VA Women With Sexual Trauma

Completed · Not applicable

Conditions studied: Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic, Intimate Partner Violence, Alcohol-Related Disorders

In brief

Lifetime sexual trauma (ST) (i.e., behaviors that range from unwanted sexual touching to attempted or completed rape) is a significant social and public health problem among women Veterans. For women Veterans, lifetime ST can occur prior to, during or after military service. ST is associated with multiple difficulties and risks, including posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), intimate partner violence (IPV), and alcohol misuse. Providing an effective, integrated, and low-cost intervention that targets ST-related risks for women Veterans with lifetime ST would advance clinical care for these vulnerable women. This research will develop and assess a computer-delivered intervention (Safety and Health Experiences Program; SHE) that will provide a screening and brief behavior intervention for women Veterans with any lifetime ST. More specifically, the intervention, SHE, will address interrelated health concerns for women Veterans with ST (i.e. alcohol misuse, IPV, and PTSD). SHE will be designed to provide individualized assessment, feedback, and referrals for women Veterans with any lifetime ST. SHE will take place within a primary care setting. Primary care visits are frequent points of health care contact for women Veterans making the visit itself the ideal, and possibly only, opportunity to provide behavioral interventions. This study will lay the groundwork for a larger clinical trial of the SHE program in multiple VA primary care settings. If effective, the intervention, SHE, represents an innovative and low cost service for early identification and intervention that could be implemented nationwide with ease and speed to address the needs of women Veterans with lifetime ST. The long-term goal of the project is to make a significant impact on advancing health services research by introducing and testing a novel and potentially powerful service tool that may improve service delivery to address the co-occurring health concerns for women Veterans with any lifetime ST.

Key facts

Study ID

NCT02957747

Run by

VISN 17 Center of Excellence

People needed

153

Starts

2017-06-12

Expected to finish

2020-05-01

Last updated by the study team

2021-01-05

Who can join

Age: 18 and older, up to 65. Sex: female. Healthy volunteers: not accepted.

You may qualify if…

• Female Veterans
• Lifetime history of ST with at least one risk factor: heavy drinking within the past 3 months, screen positive for current PTSD or for IPV within last 12 months
• Age 18-65
• Seeking treatment through the Women's Primary Care Clinics at the Central Texas VA Healthcare System.
• Ability to understand study procedures in English
• Not actively in suicidal or homicidal crisis warranting imminent hospitalization

Where it is running

• Central Texas Veterans Healthcare System — Temple, Texas, United States
• Central Texas Veterans Healthcare System — Waco, Texas, United States

Full record on ClinicalTrials.gov

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