Written Exposure Therapy to Improve Recovery among Sexual Assault Survivors Expansion | McLean | $89,708

Written Exposure Therapy to Improve Recovery among Sexual Assault Survivors

2024 Award: $89,708

Nearly 700,000 US women are sexually assaulted each year. Half of these women continue to experience severe posttraumatic stress (PTSD) six months after assault. Despite the fact that women at increased risk of PTSD can be identified at the time of assault, no interventions to prevent PTSD among women at high risk are currently available. This pilot study tests the feasibility and preliminary efficacy of a five-session telehealth intervention to prevent PTSD among women survivors of sexual assault who are at high risk of PTSD. Results from this study will provide the data necessary to obtain funding to perform a large-scale confirmatory trial.

Need/Problem: Nearly 700,000 women in the United States are sexually assaulted each year, and 1 in 4 US women are sexually assaulted during their lifetime. As many as half of these women experience severe posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) 6 months after assault. Currently, no interventions exist to prevent PTSD among survivors at high risk.

Grant Summary: We will assess the feasibility and preliminary efficacy of written exposure therapy – a brief, low-cost, 5-session intervention administered via telehealth – to reduce and prevent PTSD among women survivors of sexual assault who are at high risk.

Goals and Projected Outcomes: The results of this study will provide the data necessary to obtain funding to perform a large-scale intervention trial. If successful in decreasing PTSD development and severity after sexual assault, this study would be the first to suggest that PTSD can be prevented among survivors of sexual assault. This teletherapy intervention could be delivered at low cost to survivors across North Carolina and across the United States.