| Article ID | Journal | Published Year | Pages | File Type |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 904505 | Cognitive and Behavioral Practice | 2012 | 13 Pages |
Approximately 15% to 20% of women have been victims of rape and close to a third report current rape-related PTSD or clinically significant depression or anxiety. Unfortunately, very few distressed rape victims seek formal help. This suggests a need to develop alternative ways to assist the many distressed victims of sexual violence. Online treatment programs represent a potentially important alternative strategy for reaching such individuals. The current paper describes a pilot evaluation of an online, therapist-facilitated, self-paced cognitive behavioral program for rape victims. Five college women with current rape-related PTSD were recruited to complete the From Survivor to Thriver (S to T) program in a lab setting over the course of 7 weeks. After completing the program, 4 participants reported clinically significant reductions in PTSD symptoms and no longer met criteria for PTSD. All participants reported clinically significant reductions in vulnerability fears and 4 reported significant reductions in negative trauma-related cognitions. Implications of the results for further development of the S to T program and how clinicians could utilize this program in treating rape-related PTSD are discussed.
Research highlights► Online cognitive-behavioral interventions for trauma victims show promising results. ► We developed an online cognitive-behavioral intervention for rape victims with PTSD. ► Five college rape victims with PTSD completed the intervention over eight weeks. ► The intervention improved PTSD symptoms, safety fears, and negative cognitions.
