RISE Versus Advocacy-based Enhanced Care as Usual for Patients Experiencing IPV

Summary

This study aims to improve treatment for Veterans Health Administration (VHA) patients who experience intimate partner violence (IPV). This study will evaluate two brief counseling interventions for VHA patients who have experienced IPV in the past 12 months: Recovering from IPV through Strength and Empowerment (RISE) and advocacy-based Enhanced Care as Usual (ECAU). The RISE intervention includes up to 8 sessions and includes specific topic areas (e.g., social support, health effects, resources). The other intervention, ECAU, includes a single session that includes supportive education about IPV and health effects, discussion of ways to increase safety, and information about resources. This study will test which approach is better for improving self-efficacy and other aspects of health.

Participants will answer surveys about their self-efficacy and other health and safety indicators (e.g., mental health symptoms) right before receiving treatment, approximately 12 weeks later, and then every three months after that for one year. Participation in this research will last about 15 months.

Conditions

• Intimate Partner Violence (IPV)

Interventions

BEHAVIORAL

RISE

RISE is personalized, trauma-informed, empowerment-oriented and variable-length, consisting of an initial 60-minute session and up to 7 additional 45-minute sessions (1-8 sessions total).

BEHAVIORAL

Advocacy-based ECAU

Advocacy-based ECAU is a single 60-minute trauma-informed counseling intervention that includes supportive education, validating and empathetic statements, safety planning, resource provision and referrals.

Sponsors & Collaborators

• VA Boston Healthcare System

  collaborator FED

• VA Philadelphia Healthcare System

  collaborator UNKNOWN

• VA Minnesota Healthcare System

  collaborator UNKNOWN

• Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute

  collaborator OTHER

• Boston University

  lead OTHER

Principal Investigators

• Katherine M Iverson, PhD · V Boston Healthcare System, BU CASchool Medicine Psychiatry

• Melissa Dichter, PhD MSW · VA Philadelphia Healthcare System

Study Design

Allocation

RANDOMIZED

Purpose

TREATMENT

Masking

NONE

Model

PARALLEL

Eligibility

Min Age

18 Years

Sex

ALL

Healthy Volunteers

No

Timeline & Regulatory

Start

2025-09-15

Primary Completion

2030-01-31

Completion

2030-01-31

Countries

• United States

Study Locations