Improving Functioning Among Aging Women Veterans With Major Mental Illness
VA Office of Research and Development
Summary
Women are the fastest-growing group of U.S. Veterans. Over half of those using VA care are 45 or older, with more age-related health concerns than civilian women. The VA urgently needs gender-informed strategies to ensure women Veterans receive tailored care that addresses their intersecting mental, physical, and age related health concerns, as well as gender-linked stressors. One prominent example is menopause, a health transition period that, for many women, can be associated with negative physical and mental health concerns that can worsen their functioning and quality of life. This project will: (1) integrate stakeholder feedback to tailor Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Menopause (CBT-Meno) for women Veterans with menopause concerns; and (2) refine and evaluate tailored CBT-Meno as a treatment to address these intersecting needs in a clinical trial.
Description
Anticipated Impact on Veteran's Healthcare: The VA's commitment to serving all Veterans must include effective, gender-informed services that address the needs of women Veterans. This application will address this need by exploring one method of offering gender-informed care by tailoring an existing intervention to optimize functioning among mid-life and older women Veterans. Background: Women are the fastest-growing cohort of Veterans. They have higher rates of age-related health concerns than non-Veteran women, experiences that are further complicated by intersecting mental, physical, and g…
Eligibility
- Age range
- 45+ years
- Sex
- Female
- Healthy volunteers
- No
Inclusion Criteria: * female sex * 45 years of age or older * currently receiving services at the VA Maryland Healthcare System * presence of at least one symptom rated "moderate" or above or two symptoms rated "mild" or above the Menopause Rating Scale (MRS) * ability to participate in telehealth appointments Exclusion Criteria: * are engaging in moderate-to-severe substance use that would impact their ability to participate and/or would require a higher level of care (as determined by chart review) * engagement in CBT-Meno, whether currently or in the past * participated in Aim 1 as a Vet…
Interventions
- BehavioralTailored Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Menopause
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Menopause (CBT-Meno) is an evidenced-based intervention that includes psychoeducation, cognitive, and behavioral strategies for coping with common menopause symptoms and experiences. In Aims 1 and 2, CBT-Meno materials and procedures will be tailored for women Veterans through an iterative process involving: a) data from preliminary studies and a pre-pilot trial; b) input from content area experts; and c) stakeholder advisory panels. This tailored version of CBT-Meno will then be test in this clinical trial.
Locations (2)
- Baltimore VA Medical Center VA Maryland Health Care System, Baltimore, MDBaltimore, Maryland
- Perry Point VA Medical Center VA Maryland Health Care System, Perry Point, MDPerry Point, Maryland