Early Psychological Intervention After Rape

Launched by ST. OLAVS HOSPITAL · Aug 3, 2022

Keywords

ClinConnect Summary

This clinical trial is studying how an early psychological treatment called modified Prolonged Exposure Therapy (mPE) can help women who have experienced rape. Many women develop post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) after such traumatic events, and this study aims to see if starting therapy soon after the incident can prevent PTSD from developing. The trial will involve women aged 16 and older who have faced sexual violence and are seeking help at specific sexual assault care centers in Norway. Participants will be randomly assigned to either receive the mPE therapy or the usual care that is typically provided.

If you or someone you know is eligible to participate, you can expect to attend three to five therapy sessions, which will last about an hour each. The study is currently recruiting participants, and it’s important to note that certain conditions would exclude someone from joining, such as being under 16 years old, having severe mental health issues, or currently undergoing treatment for PTSD. The goal is to better understand how early intervention can support recovery after such a traumatic experience.

Gender

FEMALE

Eligibility criteria

• Inclusion Criteria:
• • Women ≥ 16 years of age
• • attending after a trauma meeting the DSM V trauma definition criterion "sexual violation" (in this context, characterized by penetration in any body orifice, by penis, finger, foreign body, but also attempted penetration leading to a sufficient mental reaction, helplessness, without control, intense fear etc.)
• Exclusion Criteria:
• • Age \< 16 years
• • male biological gender
• • cognitive disability
• • acute psychosis
• • acute suicidal
• • severe alcohol/drug abuse
• • current treatment for PTSD
• • non-Norwegian speaking
• • total amnesia for the event