Novel Application of Skills for Psychological Recovery as an Early Intervention for Posttraumatic Stress Disorder, Depression, and Alcohol Misuse in Survivors of Recent Sexual Assault: A Case Series

Abstract

Skills for Psychological Recovery (SPR) is an evidence-informed, early intervention for teaching survivors coping skills in the aftermath of recent disasters. Although SPR has not been tested following recent sexual assault, there is theoretical support for applying SPR to the needs of recent sexual assault survivors. The current study is the first to describe the application of SPR among survivors of recent sexual assault. SPR was administered by two master-level clinicians over the telephone to five people who experienced a sexual assault in the last month. Clients completed up to five SPR sessions. Mean scores of measures of Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD; PTSD Primary Care Screen), depression (Patient Health Questionnaire–2), and alcohol misuse (Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test–Concise) were calculated pre- and post-intervention. Clients reported a reduction in PTSD symptoms (pre-intervention mean = 4.4; post-intervention mean = 2.8), depression (pre-intervention mean = 3.6; post-intervention mean = 2.2), and alcohol misuse (pre-intervention mean = 4.5; post-intervention mean = 3.2) at post-intervention. Results are presented using a case series approach. Findings suggest that SPR may be an effective strategy for reducing early trauma-related symptoms among recent survivors of sexual assault. Future investigations should explore the feasibility, acceptability, and efficacy of delivering SPR with larger, multiculturally diverse samples of recent sexual assault survivors.