Early Intervention Following Sexual Assault

Description

This study is for women who have experienced a sexual assault in the past six weeks and use alcohol. The research involves completing a five week behavioral treatment for stress and alcohol use. Participants will complete surveys during visits. Participants may also be asked to complete brief daily assessments on their smart phones.

Conditions

Ptsd, Alcohol Use Disorder, Sexual Assault and Rape

Study Overview

Study Details

Study overview

This study is for women who have experienced a sexual assault in the past six weeks and use alcohol. The research involves completing a five week behavioral treatment for stress and alcohol use. Participants will complete surveys during visits. Participants may also be asked to complete brief daily assessments on their smart phones.

Integrated Early Intervention for Alcohol Use Disorder and Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Following Sexual Assault

Early Intervention Following Sexual Assault

Condition
Ptsd
Intervention / Treatment

-

Contacts and Locations

Charleston

Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, South Carolina, United States, 29425

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

For general information about clinical research, read Learn About Studies.

Eligibility Criteria

  • * Female; any race or ethnicity; age 18 to 65 years old.
  • * Sexual assault that occurred within the past 12 months.
  • * Subjects must be able to comprehend English.
  • * A score of 3 or greater on the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT-C) screen.
  • * A score of 31 or greater on the Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Checklist for the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (PCL-5). Subjects may also meet criteria for an alcohol use disorder, previous history of posttraumatic stress disorder, mood disorder (except bipolar affective disorder, see Exclusion Criteria) or other anxiety disorders (panic disorder, agoraphobia, social phobia, generalized anxiety disorder, or obsessive-compulsive disorder). The inclusion of subjects with affective and other anxiety disorders is essential because of the marked frequency of the co-existence of mood and other anxiety disorders among patients with AUD and PTSD (Norman et al., 2018; Zinzow et al., 2012). Subjects may meet the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5) criteria for another substance use disorder if AUD is the primary substance of choice.
  • * Must consent to complete all treatment and follow-up visits.
  • * Lack of any memory of the sexual assault
  • * Subjects meeting the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5) criteria for a history of or current psychotic, bipolar, dissociative identify disorder, or a current eating disorder, as the study protocol may be therapeutically insufficient.
  • * Subjects experiencing significant withdrawal symptoms, as evidence by a score of 10 or more on the Clinical Institute Withdrawal Assessment of Alcohol (CIWA). These subjects will be referred for clinical detoxification and may be re-assessed for study eligibility after medically supervised detoxification has been completed.
  • * Individuals considered an immediate suicide risk, with current suicidal ideation and intent.
  • * Individuals who attempted suicide in the past month. These individuals will be referred directly for treatment.
  • * Individuals on psychotropic medications must be stabilized on it for at least two weeks prior to beginning the study.
  • * Any other medical or psychiatric conditions that the investigators believe may compromise the individual's ability to safely participate in the study.

Ages Eligible for Study

18 Years to 65 Years

Sexes Eligible for Study

FEMALE

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Collaborators and Investigators

Medical University of South Carolina,

Study Record Dates

2025-07-31