Ending Self Stigma for PTSD
| Status: | Completed |
|---|---|
| Conditions: | Psychiatric, Psychiatric |
| Therapuetic Areas: | Psychiatry / Psychology |
| Healthy: | No |
| Age Range: | 18 - 70 |
| Updated: | 9/27/2017 |
| Start Date: | November 2015 |
| End Date: | September 2016 |
Reducing Internalized Stigma Among Veterans With PTSD: A Pilot Trial
Veterans with PTSD report that stigma and fear of stigma have a chilling effect on their
participation in mental health treatment. Despite the widely-documented effects of stigma on
the recovery of individuals with mental illnesses and research demonstrating harmful
consequences of internalized stigma, including decreased hope, self-esteem, personal
motivation, and persistence regarding illness management, no interventions are currently
available to assist Veterans with PTSD in combating the impact of internalized stigma. The
goal of this research is to develop and pilot-test an intervention to provide Veterans with
PTSD the skills to cope effectively with stigma and to mitigate the internalization of
stigmatizing beliefs and stereotypes. To accomplish this purpose, Ending Self Stigma (ESS),
an intervention composed of evidence-based methods for combating internalized stigma for
serious mental illness, will be modified and tested to address issues particular to PTSD.
participation in mental health treatment. Despite the widely-documented effects of stigma on
the recovery of individuals with mental illnesses and research demonstrating harmful
consequences of internalized stigma, including decreased hope, self-esteem, personal
motivation, and persistence regarding illness management, no interventions are currently
available to assist Veterans with PTSD in combating the impact of internalized stigma. The
goal of this research is to develop and pilot-test an intervention to provide Veterans with
PTSD the skills to cope effectively with stigma and to mitigate the internalization of
stigmatizing beliefs and stereotypes. To accomplish this purpose, Ending Self Stigma (ESS),
an intervention composed of evidence-based methods for combating internalized stigma for
serious mental illness, will be modified and tested to address issues particular to PTSD.
Stigma and fear of stigma are widespread among Veterans with PTSD and both have pernicious
effects on Veterans' well-being and participation in mental health treatment. Internalized
stigma is a harmful consequence of societal stigma, and has been associated with decreased
hope, self-esteem, personal motivation, morale, self-regard, and persistence regarding
illness management among individuals with a range of mental illnesses. Internalized stigma
also has negative impacts on the recovery and well-being of Veterans with PTSD specifically,
but no evidence-based interventions are currently available to assist Veterans with PTSD in
combatting the impact of internalized stigma. Therefore, the purpose of this proposal is to
develop and pilot-test an intervention to provide Veterans with PTSD the skills to cope
effectively with stigma and to mitigate the internalization of stigmatizing beliefs and
stereotypes. To that end, the investigators will modify Ending Self Stigma (ESS), an
intervention composed of evidence-based strategies for combating internalized stigma for
mental illness developed by the investigators' team, to specifically serve the needs of
Veterans with PTSD.
This proposed project is composed of two phases. In Phase I, the investigators will produce
an intervention and accompanying manual for the PTSD version of ESS (ESS-P), based upon the
strategies and structure of the existing ESS intervention. To this end, the investigators
will interview Veterans with a PTSD diagnosis to learn more about their experience with
societal and internalized stigma associated with PTSD, plus other considerations and issues
in addressing internalized stigma with such Veterans. Information gleaned in these
qualitative interviews will form the basis of the investigators' adaption of the ESS
intervention to specifically address the needs of Veterans with PTSD. In Phase II, the
investigators will pilot-test ESS-P with Veterans who have PTSD, to evaluate the feasibility
and acceptability of the intervention. In addition, the investigators will preliminarily
estimate the effects of ESS-P through comparison to a control group receiving only an
informational brochure on internalized stigma associated with PTSD. These feasibility,
implementation and pilot outcome data will be used to further refine the intervention,
towards the goal of conducting a future larger scale study of ESS-P within the VA system.
effects on Veterans' well-being and participation in mental health treatment. Internalized
stigma is a harmful consequence of societal stigma, and has been associated with decreased
hope, self-esteem, personal motivation, morale, self-regard, and persistence regarding
illness management among individuals with a range of mental illnesses. Internalized stigma
also has negative impacts on the recovery and well-being of Veterans with PTSD specifically,
but no evidence-based interventions are currently available to assist Veterans with PTSD in
combatting the impact of internalized stigma. Therefore, the purpose of this proposal is to
develop and pilot-test an intervention to provide Veterans with PTSD the skills to cope
effectively with stigma and to mitigate the internalization of stigmatizing beliefs and
stereotypes. To that end, the investigators will modify Ending Self Stigma (ESS), an
intervention composed of evidence-based strategies for combating internalized stigma for
mental illness developed by the investigators' team, to specifically serve the needs of
Veterans with PTSD.
This proposed project is composed of two phases. In Phase I, the investigators will produce
an intervention and accompanying manual for the PTSD version of ESS (ESS-P), based upon the
strategies and structure of the existing ESS intervention. To this end, the investigators
will interview Veterans with a PTSD diagnosis to learn more about their experience with
societal and internalized stigma associated with PTSD, plus other considerations and issues
in addressing internalized stigma with such Veterans. Information gleaned in these
qualitative interviews will form the basis of the investigators' adaption of the ESS
intervention to specifically address the needs of Veterans with PTSD. In Phase II, the
investigators will pilot-test ESS-P with Veterans who have PTSD, to evaluate the feasibility
and acceptability of the intervention. In addition, the investigators will preliminarily
estimate the effects of ESS-P through comparison to a control group receiving only an
informational brochure on internalized stigma associated with PTSD. These feasibility,
implementation and pilot outcome data will be used to further refine the intervention,
towards the goal of conducting a future larger scale study of ESS-P within the VA system.
Inclusion Criteria:
- a diagnosis of PTSD
- age between 18 and 70
- participation in mental health services at the VAMHCS
- sufficient clinical stability to participate
Exclusion Criteria:
- a diagnosis of serious mental illness
- schizophrenia/schizoaffective disorder
- bipolar disorder
- major depression with psychotic features
- participation in the Phase I qualitative study
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