Evaluation of Web-Based CBT for Rape Victims

NCT02777294 | Completed DMC

• 1 other identifier: 1R34MH085118-01A2
• Study Type: interventional
• Target: 87
• Locations: 0 countries
• Sites: N/A

Brief Summary

Rape is unfortunately a common experience among women, affecting between 13 and 20%. In addition, up to 50% of all rape victims experience significant and persistent psychological distress. While cognitive-behavioral interventions have been found to be successful at alleviating distress among victims; the majority do not seek out these services, often because of feelings of stigma and self-blame. One potential method for circumventing these barriers is through online administered treatment. Thus, the current project is designed to conduct an initial evaluation of a 12 to 16-week, therapist-facilitated, multi-media, cognitive-behavioral, online intervention tailored specifically for rape victims. The effectiveness of this program at ameliorating distress among college women who have experienced rape and have current posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) was evaluated. Reductions in psychological distress was the primary outcome and was assessed at post-intervention and at three and six month follow-up periods. The effectiveness of the intervention was compared to a psycho-educational website.

Conditions

PTSD

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (1)

• Change in PTSD symptoms (PTSD Symptom Scale Interview)

  Change in PTSD symptoms from baseline to 3 months post intervention

Study Arms (2)

Online intervention

EXPERIMENTAL

Therapist-facilitated, cognitive behavioral therapy

Behavioral: Online intervention

Psycho-educational website

ACTIVE COMPARATOR

Self-help, psycho-educational website

Behavioral: Psycho-educational website

Interventions

Online intervention BEHAVIORAL

Therapist-facilitated, multimedia, cognitive-behavioral online intervention targeting rape-related PTSD

Online intervention

Psycho-educational website BEHAVIORAL

Psycho-educational self-help website about rape-related PTSD

Psycho-educational website

Eligibility Criteria

• Age: 18 Years - 50 Years
• Sex: female
• Healthy Volunteers: Yes
• Age Groups: Adult (18-64)

You may qualify if:

• Current rape-related PTSD
• Regular access to a computer
• English language literacy
• Experience of completed rape at age 14 years or older

You may not qualify if:

• No current PTSD
• Current psychotherapy
• Lack of stability on psychotropic medication (\< 3 months)
• Lack of literacy in English
• Current substance dependence
• Current elevated suicidality
• Severe acute distress
• No experience of completed rape after age 14

Sponsors & Collaborators

• East Carolina University: lead
• Boston University: collaborator
• University of Houston: collaborator

Related Publications (1)

• O'Doherty L, Whelan M, Carter GJ, Brown K, Tarzia L, Hegarty K, Feder G, Brown SJ. Psychosocial interventions for survivors of rape and sexual assault experienced during adulthood. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2023 Oct 5;10(10):CD013456. doi: 10.1002/14651858.CD013456.pub2.

  PMID: 37795783 DERIVED

MeSH Terms

Conditions

Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic

Condition Hierarchy (Ancestors)

Stress Disorders, Traumatic; Trauma and Stressor Related Disorders; Mental Disorders

Study Design

• Study Type: interventional
• Phase: not applicable
• Allocation: RANDOMIZED
• Masking: SINGLE
• Who Masked: PARTICIPANT
• Purpose: TREATMENT
• Intervention Model: PARALLEL
• Sponsor Type: OTHER
• Responsible Party: PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR
• PI Title: Associate Professor

Study Record Dates

• First Submitted: May 16, 2016
• First Posted: May 19, 2016
• Study Start: May 1, 2012
• Primary Completion: May 1, 2014
• Study Completion: August 1, 2014
• Last Updated: May 19, 2016

Record last verified: 2016-05