Initial efficacy of a web-based alcohol and emotion regulation intervention for college women with sexual assault histories.

Abstract

Objective: College women with sexual assault histories report greater heavy drinking relative to those without histories of assault. Moreover, individuals with sexual assault histories often have difficulty regulating emotions and tolerating distress, which can lead to a problematic pattern of drinking to cope. Thus, we evaluated the initial efficacy of a web-based alcohol intervention that included strategies to reduce drinking and improve regulatory skills for heavy drinking college women with sexual assault histories. Method: The sample comprised college women (N = 200) who were 20.9 (SD = 2.8) years old and primarily White (69%). They were randomized to an assessment-only control or intervention and completed 14 daily diary assessments, pre-and posttreatment surveys, and 1-and 6-month follow-up surveys. During daily diary, the intervention group received a brief (5-10 min) alcohol reduction or regulatory skill module each day. Results: Reductions in drinking quantity and heavy episodic drinking were found for the intervention group at posttreatment and 1-month follow-up relative to controls. Improved regulatory skills and reduced posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms were reported at posttreatment for women who received the intervention compared to controls. Although gains were maintained, the intervention group no longer differed from controls by 6-month follow-up. Conclusions: Results suggest this web-based intervention may result in short-term reductions in drinking and PTSD symptoms as well as improvements in regulatory abilities for college women with sexual assault histories. Public Health Significance StatementThis brief web-based intervention was designed to address the unique needs of heavy drinking college women with sexual assault histories in a way that minimized barriers to care and met the women where they are, with potential to have a broad positive impact on postassault functioning given the relative ease of dissemination and implementation. Results highlight the utility of integrating regulatory skills alongside alcohol reduction strategies to reduce alcohol use and improve other indicators of functioning among college women with sexual assault histories.

Teaching DBT skills to DACA recipients and their families: Findings from an ECHO program.

“…Of significance, our qualitative findings add to the literature on how to build on the strengths of undocumented immigrants during a politically charged climate. Specifically, the web-based skills program implemented aligns with research on the effectiveness of web-based skills programs in the reduction of trauma symptoms as well as improvement in emotion regulation skills for individuals with a history of trauma (Stappenbeck et al, 2021). Finally, the discussed program calls attention to the need for new theoretical models of digital community healing spaces and interventions for vulnerable populations.…”

Gender and Childhood Victimization: A Longitudinal Study of Heavy Drinking in Young Adulthood

“…Importantly, the interactive effect with gender indicates the childhood victimization's effect is stronger (in generating heavy drinking risk) for female adolescents than for male adolescents for whom a decrease in risk was observed. Previous literature suggests that women's experiences with sexual assault may be leading to differences in levels of psychological distress as well as later heavy drinking behavior [54,55]. Traumatic events early in the lifespan may forge a critical link in a chain of events leading to psychological distress (e.g., depression) to adult alcohol use or other substance use [51,87].…”

“…Previous research has demonstrated the effectiveness of brief motivational interventions or motivational interviews on drinking behavior, and these could be further refined to reach broader audiences, including adolescent and young women who are heavy drinking [17,18,63]. Another option that focuses on low-cost levels is text message or webbased programming aimed at reducing heavy drinking episodes or behaviors, which has demonstrated some effectiveness thus far in the literature for younger populations [54,99]. Promising approaches exist for treatment of heavy drinking behavior, and greater research and funding into both medical and other modalities would promote health equity in the United States and globally.…”

“…While generally understood in the literature to increase the risk of engaging in heavy drinking, that victimization's effects are uniform for racial and ethnic minority groups or for women versus men cannot be taken for granted [52,53]. As a codifying example, sexual assault histories are widely reported among women, and ample research indicates these histories matter both as relevant risk factors but also avenues for heavy drinking treatment addressing underlying traumatic experiences [54,55]. Critically, coping with victimization may present further opportunities for additional or repeated victimization.…”

College Students’ Experiences of Dating App Facilitated Sexual Violence and Associations with Mental Health Symptoms and Well-Being

“…Because many DAFSV behaviors do not meet legal definitions for sexual assault or domestic violence, and many individuals may not identify their experiences as such, this type of victimization may go undetected in clinical care settings despite its association with various indicators of mental health (i.e., depression and anxiety symptoms) and well-being (i.e., selfesteem, loneliness, perceived control). Further, given the online context of DAFSV, web-based prevention and intervention may be particularly accessible and effective for victims and could concurrently be used to address intersecting health concerns such as heavy drinking (Gulati et al, 2021;Stappenbeck et al, 2021).…”