The From Survivor to Thriver Program: RCT of an Online Therapist-Facilitated Program for Rape-Related PTSD.

• Main Authors: Littleton, Heather, Grills, Amie E., Kline, Katherine D., Schoemann, Alexander M., Dodd, Julia
• Published: Digital Commons @ East Tennessee State University 2016
• Subjects: rape; pottraumatic stress disorder; online therapy; clinical trial; Psychology
• Online Access: https://dc.etsu.edu/etsu-works/7326; https://doi.org/10.1016/j.janxdis.2016.07.010

This study evaluated the efficacy of the From Survivor to Thriver program, an interactive, online therapist-facilitated cognitive-behavioral program for rape-related PTSD. Eighty-seven college women with rape-related PTSD were randomized to complete the interactive program (n = 46) or a psycho-educational self-help website (n = 41). Both programs led to large reductions in interview-assessed PTSD at post-treatment (interactive d = 2.22, psycho-educational d = 1.10), which were maintained at three month follow-up. Both also led to medium- to large-sized reductions in self-reported depressive and general anxiety symptoms. Follow-up analyses supported that the therapist-facilitated interactive program led to superior outcomes among those with higher pre-treatment PTSD whereas the psycho-educational self-help website led to superior outcomes for individuals with lower pre-treatment PTSD. Future research should examine the efficacy and effectiveness of online interventions for rape-related PTSD including whether treatment intensity matching could be utilized to maximize outcomes and therapist resource efficiency.