A Self-Help Intervention to Improve Functioning, Symptoms, and Treatment Utilization Among Non-Treatment Engaged Post 9/11 Veterans With Depression or PTSD Symptoms
VA Office of Research and Development
Summary
It is important to provide support and resources for the many post-9/11 Veterans with mental health symptoms and poor psychosocial functioning who do not engage in psychotherapy. One of the biggest reasons post-9/11 Veterans do not seek treatment is a preference to handle problems on their own. This study examines a self-help intervention that teaches Veterans healthy coping strategies they can use on their own and how to seek out recovery support services such as mental health treatment or whole-person care if they decide to do so in the future. This study will compare the impact of self-help and standard resources at improving mental health and resource utilization. Two hundred Veterans will complete 6 brief assessments across 40 weeks.
Description
Many post-9/11 Veterans experience impaired psychosocial functioning, due in part to high rates of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and major depressive disorder (MDD). Less than half of post-9/11 Veterans with these conditions seek mental health treatment, with key barriers being a preference to self-manage and lack of time. Veterans also report difficulty navigating the overwhelming array of resources available. To address this gap for post-9/11 Veterans with unmet mental health needs, the investigators developed a self-help intervention to provide skills for healthy self-management as w…
Eligibility
- Age range
- 18+ years
- Sex
- All
- Healthy volunteers
- No
Inclusion Criteria: * Veteran age \>= 18 years who served on or after September 11, 2001 * Enrolled at Syracuse or Durham VA Healthcare System (had an encounter in primary care or Military 2VA clinic in past 24 months) * Screen positive for current symptoms of MDD (PHQ-2) or PTSD (PC-PTSD-5) * Report current functional impairment (PHQ-9 item 10) Exclusion Criteria: * Inability to communicate in English * Visual impairment that precludes reading self-help materials * Hearing impairment that precludes completing telephone assessments * Cognitive impairment that precludes providing informed co…
Interventions
- BehavioralResilience Training for Veterans (REST-V)
A 6-week self-help intervention tailored for post-9/11 Veterans offering guidance on cognitive-behavioral self-management coping strategies plus when and how to access recovery support services including mental health treatment. Materials are sent once a week for 6 weeks, and participants can opt to receive weekly reminder text messages or up to 3 brief telephone support calls.
- OtherUsual resources
Standard printed resource/treatment information provided in VHA usual care to post-9/11 Veterans. Covers similar domains as the intervention materials and provides information on a variety of VA and community resources for Veterans. Materials are sent once.
Locations (2)
- Syracuse VA Medical Center, Syracuse, NYSyracuse, New York
- Durham VA Medical Center, Durham, NCDurham, North Carolina