Understanding and Testing Recovery Processes for PTSD and Alcohol Use Following Sexual Assault

Summary

Sexual assault can lead to devastating consequences including the development of chronic conditions including posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and alcohol use disorders (AUD). Interventions delivered soon after exposure to assault can decrease the long-term negative consequences of sexual assault but existing interventions are limited in their ability to target concurrent PTSD symptoms and alcohol use and little is known about how to make best practice treatment decisions in the early period following sexual assault. A greater emphasis on transdiagnostic processes that are related to both PTSD and alcohol use, such as fear and reward systems, can elucidate mechanisms of recovery, lead to the development of more effective intervention approaches, and guide clinical decision making for patients recently exposed to sexual assault.

Conditions

• Alcohol; Use, Problem
• Posttraumatic Stress Disorder

Interventions

BEHAVIORAL

Imaginal Exposure

Six 50 min, twice weekly video telehealth sessions will be provided based on prolonged exposure therapy for PTSD. This brief intervention includes psycho-education and focuses on imaginal exposure only based on Zoellner et al., (2016).

BEHAVIORAL

Alcohol Skills Training

Six 50 min, twice weekly video telehealth sessions will be provided based on content from the alcohol skills training program and CBT protocols. Each session includes teaching skills and practice, focusing on mitigating rewarding aspects of alcohol, addressing cravings, and increasing other natural rewards.

BEHAVIORAL

Supportive Telehealth

The supportive counseling intervention, modeled after Litz et al. (2007), will ask participants to self-monitor their experience of weekly symptoms and complete weekly online writing about daily non-trauma related concerns and hassles. Participants will talk with a therapist on the telephone twice per week.

Sponsors & Collaborators

• National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA)

  collaborator NIH

• University of Washington

  lead OTHER

Principal Investigators

• Michele Bedard-Gilligan, PhD · University of Washington

Study Design

Allocation

RANDOMIZED

Purpose

TREATMENT

Masking

SINGLE

Model

CROSSOVER

Eligibility

Min Age

18 Years

Max Age

65 Years

Sex

FEMALE

Healthy Volunteers

No

Timeline & Regulatory

Start

2021-06-02

Primary Completion

2026-06-01

Completion

2026-08-31

Countries

• United States

Study Locations